Legend of the North
by Cucuxumusu
Summary: Law has lost everything, his clan, his family, his life, and he's just sure he's about to die in the begging of the dark legendary forest in the hands of his enemy. However, his surprise is great when he wakes up only to find himself surrounded by a clan he didn't know could exist, and living with a powerful man that seems to hate him, but that attracts him like no other.
1. The Begining

Good night people, here I am with a new story for you all, I wrote it for the One Piece Big Bang event on Tumblr where I work with my partner Elyon who had made amazing art for the story that I recommend you all too go see (go see it or I will punch you!).

Also I would want to thank Piopiomeme, my lovely beta who had stand all my crazy ideas from the beginning and my crisis while I wrote, darling I love you with all my hearth. A lot of kisses for you n3n.

The story is not very long since it was for the event and I hope you all like it, as always the characters are not mine, they are from Echiro Oda, but the rest of the story is mine, so if I see it published somewhere without my contentment I will decapitate you.

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Law had lost everything.

In less than a day, all he had ever known in his life and everything he had ever loved and cheered had disappeared into complete dark nothingness. In a few and insignificant hours, his life had taken a turn in the most painful and horrible direction, and he had just been allowed to watch it crumble, not being able to do anything.

The young man of barely twenty-six years old and exotic silver eyes had simply not been prepared for what had come over him.

Yesterday, Trafalgar Law was an intelligent young man with a bright and happy life blessed with everything anyone could want: a family, some friends, a home to return to, and a job to be proud of. The dark haired man had his whole life in front of him, thousands of possibilities and options opened for him, so he could become the man he dreamed to be.

 _Yesterday_ , when he went down to the crowded kitchen of the castle searching for breakfast, his mother gave him a kiss on the forehead and his beloved little sister, whom he adored above everything in the world, had greeted him with sleep-ridden eyes. _Yesterday_ his father, the head of the clan, had laughed with him while discussing the lack of wheat in the village. He had trained with his friends in the small snowy courtyard of the castle with his family and his clan encouraging him like every day.

Yesterday he had been happy. He had had a home.

Today, however, he was nobody. He has absolutely nothing. Now, no one would miss him and mourn his loss if he died in the bloodiest battle in the worst way. His sister wouldn't pick white flowers to decorate his grave, his mother would not, between tears, knit ceremonial black and silver clothes for him to wear in the other world with the colours of his clan, nor would his father spend sleepless nights drinking the purest whiskey, remembering his firstborn. Now, there would be no funeral, now, there wouldn't be days of mourning, not even someone to remember him.

 _He had now lost everything._

And therefore he had no reason to keep fighting, nothing left for him to keep trying to survive one more day in the now empty world. Even his survival instinct -the one which had saved him from so many problems when he was a boy without a brain- could beat his shattered mind and make him move forward.

When Law stumbled on another thick black root hidden by the snow and fell with his face hitting the soft white mantle, he didn't even react at all at the hard blow. His mind processed the fall, but he just kept still panting, as the blood from the fatal wound in his side from the battle, began to stain the iced water around him in a deep bright scarlet.

Law stopped trying to go ahead and run away from his death. Law refused to get up and go on with the charade.

What for? Everyone of his beloved family and friends had perished. His parents, his sister, his entire clan, the whole village… From the small blackened wooden houses to the imposing castle of thick gray stone, all had been destroyed by the powerful flames of fire and the swords of their enemies.

Enemies that now laughed behind him and keep getting closer to the injured boy with the hunting wolves chasing his bloody trail. They were trying to kill the last survivor, the last member of the powerful clan so there won't be any witness of the betrayal.

Law held his breath at the gates of death as his mind remembered what happened.

It had been a slaughter.

In less than three hours, the village, sunk between high and sharp mountains covered with ancient snow and ice, had disappeared on a trail of ashes and blood. The enemy had attacked them by surprise, when it had been dark and people had been sleeping quiet and with their guard down. They had been wiped out mercilessly from the world. Children and women had been unable to do anything to defend themselves against the mighty warriors, his whole clan had perished as a white breath quickly vanishing in the cold air.

The massive castle of his ancestors -the one his father had told him so many stories about his old family, the one that was the pride of the Trafalgar clan with the high towers touching the sky and large windows decorated with intricate knots that illuminating the entire field of snow- had been reduced to the blackened ruins of a cemetery and to the forgotten memories of the world.

Law knew he won't be able to look at that beautiful piece of his life now turned into a pathetic ruin again. The place was now buried under the snow of the cold North, quiet after the killing, the blood and the screams. What he had loved and adored will now become his cruelest nightmare.

So why get up? Why hide and try to recover from his injuries? Why try to find a warm place to warm up his chilled bones?.

The tanned boy knew it was impossible to even survive the approaching winter alone. Even in summer, the cold northern sun wasn't able to melt the thick layer of snow that covered that part of the world. The winter was eternal in this country, the snow had always covered the ground and the wind had always blown from the east side, freezing his cheeks. Summers were hard. Winters were the bane of every man. Law knew he wouldn't survive more than a few weeks in that harsh environment, injured, and without any help.

It was better to die now and leave his body to freeze within that breathtaking landscape of high, steep mountains, and thick black trees of twisted branches. Better now than during the real winter, when it becomes impossible for any man to set foot outside their houses without freezing to death in the attempt. Now, the breeze was nice and the snow fell gently against his body in a subtle caress, whereas in winter the air would cut his lips and the snow would feel like darts against his skin.

Now the world seemed to say a gently goodbye to him as the last member of his old clan.

To die in the edge of the dark big forest in the autumn would be a comfortable death. To lie forever in a place full of magic and legends, where only a few dared to enter, and where his body would remain intact for years thanks to the cold, sounded even pleasant. If he was lucky, his pursuers wouldn't find him and he would remain uncorrupted for centuries in that place surrounded by the most pure silence and the few trees that heralded the beginning of that magical forest.

Law coughed spitting blood, and felt the cold flood him as the heat was drained from his body.

It was ironic. Law had always been an arrogant and proud person, had always been able to defend his honor and that of his people from the enemies that had tried to subdue them. No one had ever raised against him or his family without facing punishment and the consequences of such a stupid act. Law had always boasted of his strength and courage, and yet, while lying in the snow and being the only survivor from a proud clan of warriors, he couldn't even stand up and strike back at the enemy who had harmed him the most.

He won't even live more than two hours with the gaping wound and won't be able to take revenge or at least spit in the face of his enemies. Moreover, if he decided to take revenge now, it would be one of the dumbest thing he did in his life.

If he decided to stand up and fight those bastards, he would be just one person against a whole clan, he would be a man without a soul and with nothing to keep fighting form against man trying to end their perfect job. He, a wounded poor crazy child, absurdly fighting against healthy and strong men. He would die humiliated, and even worse as those men will surely make fun of him, would take advantage of him in his painful state and will tortured and rape him before ending his life.

'This was the north', his father had told him as a child, 'where the weather was so cruel and hard like the man who lived there'.

Lying in the snow with wet feet in the worn out leather boots that were unable to protect him from the cold, and with his heavy coat of fox fur slowly turning frozen from the blood that was flowing from his wound, Law wanted to scream in frustration. He chewed the inside of his mouth trying to hold back tears of frustration and helplessness that keep threatening to spill from his silver eyes. He wasn't allowed to mourn the loss, he was strong and proud, the successor of a whole clan of hundred generations. Had no right to mourn after what they had done to his people, not after being totally unable to avenge them.

It had been so unfair, they had done nothing, his parents and his clan had never entered into any political conflicts, and they had always remained neutral outside the struggles for power between the different clans in the country. They were always content with their lonely territory and scarce resources, without worrying about anything else. His clan was known for being the most peaceful and neutral throughout the whole north, they were known by their huge knowledge rather than power.

And yet they had finished with them all.

Law couldn't help but blame himself at the thought. He was the eldest son of the family, one day he should have become the headmaster of the clan, had been trained to deal with situations like this one, to defend and protect his people. He should have seen it coming, he should have warned the men of the armory, should have refused his mother's complaints and have joined the battle like all clan leader should do. Like his father had done. Like all his ancestors had done before him.

Law hated himself for not having done his duty.

So he didn't try to get up when the barking of the hunting wolves began to dangerously approach their wounded prey, he didn't even groaned in pain as the huge bleeding wound on his body began to freeze painfully. He simply did nothing and waited for death to take him without resistance.

He couldn't survive in this arid climate, he will die by blood loss or by freezing if the wolves didn't reached him before. There weren't any second chances, there was no emergency plan. Law knew with the same certainty that tomorrow the sun will rise, that if he fell asleep he would die.

But he didn't care. Because dying now meant that he will flee from this world that was now empty and meaningless. Death meant that he will reunite with his family in the afterlife and forget the horrible massacre. He will forget the head of his mother beheaded by the sword of a soldier, still seeming to yell at him to run and save his sister. He will forget the image of his father with a spear stuck in his belly, piercing him from side to side in a lethal wound. Dying would mean to forget the bruised and naked body of his little sister, after the soldiers had used her in the worst way possible.

Dying would mean to disappear into perfect and absolute nothingness. Removing the tragedy. Going back home.

So when his vision began to blur in the silent forest around him, when his eyes began to close and loss focus, Law didn't attempt to resist his cruel destiny.

.

.

.

The first thing that managed to penetrate the dense dark mantle that covered Law's mind was the heat. It was hot, very hot, and hotter than everything he had ever known during his life in the cold north. Law was suffocating in that torrid atmosphere, under layers of what appeared to be thick and heavy pelts and wool blankets, which made him sink into a fluffy and soft bed.

The second thing that Law could feel through the numbness that filled him was the familiar scent of wood being burned in a fireplace between crackling whispers, and the unmistakable smell of freshly cooked food boiling in a pot. The aroma of crusty bread, pumpkin soup and deer roasted in butter and herbs, pleasantly wrapped around him making the oppressive heat fall into a second place while his empty stomach growled hungrily.

Then, while his mind continued clearing from the depths of sleep, the sound of laughter and talking people reached his ears, followed by the noise of children playing between excited shouts, and the indistinguishable sound of women gossiping around the warm fire. Placid, calm, unconcerned. It seemed like a normal afternoon in the old castle where Law had grown up laughing between friends, and the warmth of his mother and his father's reproaches.

Stunned by the friendly atmosphere where he suddenly was, Law's eyes opened to the cruel world that still wouldn't let him go.

The room that awaited him was unlike any other he had ever seen. The place wasn't carved into stone like the rooms of his own castle, where the walls were made from robust gray granite in order to withstand the cold and battles. It wasn't even built with large, old trunks that the people from the village used to create their resistant huts. No, this small and simple room seemed to be carved deep into the brown earth of the world itself, sculpted directly on the rock as a piece of art stolen from the hearth of the earth. It was like a little refuge of low ceilings and warm colours that spoke about magic and strange cultures.

Rugs made of soft wool with intricate patterns of knots and strange heraldics, covered the plank flooring of bright polished wood, in an exotic beautiful spectacle of designs and textures. From a small window carved into the wall in front of the bed, the cold and dark northern light, passed through lace embroidered curtains that were, together with a fireplace and a few candles, the only source of illumination inside the room.

Thousands of tapestries with pictures of bears and wolves playing and running in different positions decorated the brown walls, next to shelves loaded with books and foreign objects that Law couldn't even recognize. There were several vases with delicate violet and white little flowers, and even dried herbs and medicinal roots hanged from the ceiling creating a mysterious and relaxing atmosphere full of scents and a natural warm feeling.

Even the rustic bed by a wall where Law was sleeping in, was filled with brightly reddish and gold cushions, and more handmade wool blankets with many pictures of knots and flowers embroidered by experts hands, sporting the colors of a clan Law have never known about.

At first glance, Law knew that this was the room of a woman. No man would allow so much lace and decorations full of flowers in his domains. Not even a simple cushion would even come into their room, let alone curtains, candles and vibrant red carpets.

Law, confused and still a bit dizzy, blinked in the strange environment. Where was he? And where were the warriors that chased him? And the dark forest covered with pure white snow? Why was he even still alive? Shouldn't he be dead by now?

Law moved aside the heavy blankets -the thick wool, the quilt of dark colors, and the furs of the huge white wolves from the north- with a quick move of his arm, and sat on the edge of the bed trying to make his head stop spinning. However, with the movement, the pain from the wound at his side flooded his body and Law bent over the bed letting out a muffled groan of pure agony.

With shaking hands from the fever that clearly still consumed him, Law lifted then the shirt that he realized somebody seemed to have dressed him with, and revealed the location of pain.

The wound that only seconds ago had threatened to kill him, was now stitched and bandaged over his strong stomach muscles. Law brushed his fingers over the thin strip of linen that covered the place, feeling the big stitches throbbing on his skin, still too tender and weak. Not many doctors knew this technique or dared to apply it, especially with the huge bone needles which were used in this area. Sewing a wound in this cold place normally only served to worsen the already critical situation. However, in this case, Law could only contemplate the stitched wound, surprised by the perfect job.

Still, at the sight of the now patched up wound, the dark haired boy couldn't stop the memories from resurfacing in his mind at what had happened and how the injury had been inflicted. For a moment, Law squeezed the blankets beside him, trying to contain the pain from a deeper and more painful wound than the one on his body, a wound that would not be so easy to sew and heal.

But again he refused to mourn and alleviate his suffering with the tears. He couldn't break now, if he started to remember, if he started to feel sorry; everything that was inside him would come out abruptly and Law would sink into darkness again. If he let his mind be consumed by the memories, Law would lose himself in longing for his loss over months or even years.

Before the mourn Law should take his revenge.

He couldn't take refuge in his grief and tragedy, he couldn't be broken now, not in an unknown place where he might be surrounded by enemies. Not when the people who had slaughtered his family still breathed the air of this world. He would cry later, when he returned home and buried the bodies of his clan beneath the snow and frozen ground of his domain, when he rendered homage to their souls and exhibited the heads of those that had betrayed them, stuck on a pike.

Swallowing the heavy lump in his throat, Law focused on the pain flooding his body through the wound in his side and tried to close the door in his mind that would liberate the ocean of darkness.

Slowly and carefully, the brown haired man rose from the bed and supported himself against the wall and on one of the shelves beside the bed. The world instantly teetered precariously around him and he nearly fell flat on the ground, but he took a deep breath, and let the initial dizziness pass while concentrating on something else.

Like on the strange clothes he was wearing: a simple dark shirt and matching baggy linen trousers that were hanging dangerously loose from his hips and that were stupidly big for him. Someone had taken his dirty and ruined clothes, had bathed him and cleaned the blood and mud that had covered his skin, and had put him into those clean and simple clothes in return.

Law didn't know if it was a good sign, those people could have helped him because of various reasons, not all of them to his benefit. He wasn't going to trust anyone now.

When everything stopped spinning around him and his stomach stopped growling upset with so much movement, Law took one of the gray furs from the bed, put it around his shoulders to keep himself warm and the fever at bay, and headed for the only door the room had with faltering steps.

The wooden floor was cold under his feet, and his skin felt wet with sweat. Law knew he should stay in bed in his state, but he couldn't rest and pretend he was asleep. He needed to find where he was, he needed to know if the shouts he heard outside the small room were friendly, or from his enemies, he needed to know if he could relax or should make a plan to escape as soon as possible.

His family had been betrayed, and Law was sure it had been several clans united. He couldn't trust anyone now. He didn't know who was friend and who was foe. Who would betray him after discovering who he was and would lead him to his enemies in exchange for a few pieces of gold?

Law was alone and disadvantaged.

He needed to be more careful than ever.

Opening the almost closed door to the room where the laughter and voices came from, Law quickly studied the huge place that received him.

High ceilings with large beams made of heavy logs were holding a roof of sculpted earth like the room in which he had awakened. The floor was made of red and black mosaics forming more wolves and bears of solid stone, but despite the cold material that covered the floor, the room looked just as cozy and warm as the previous one.

Banners and tapestries hung from the high ceiling trunks showing huge family trees, more heraldics of roaring bears and wolves decorated each corner, and large glass windows let the light enter the room from the ceiling and walls in a strange spectacle of lights and mirrors. Stoves and shelves loaded with food lined up the walls of the room, and two long tables with benches and plates were stuck against two walls leaving a small central hallway leading to another huge door that would surely lead to the main hall of the place.

Some men sat talking and laughing at the ends of the banks, with beers in their hands and a deck of cards on the table. In the kitchen, two women with voluptuous breasts and baggy dresses chatted while watching the fire pots and the children running and chasing each other around the room.

It looked like the typical dining room from a castle, the room where you would go to take refuge when bored or when something was wrong. This was the place to socialize, where announcements were made and banquets celebrated. That room smelled of family. Of clan.

Law chest tightened painfully again.

However, he had no time to mourn his tragedy when one of the children finally saw him standing by the door, and letting out a little shriek of surprise immediately stopped his game. Instantly all eyes in the room fell on him and an awkward silence filled the room as everyone suddenly became still and watched him surprised and almost _fascinated_.

That was a reaction too strange for the tanned boy's taste. Something was wrong. Was this the enemy's castle then?

Frowning, Law instantly opened his mouth to demand answers to the many questions that plagued his mind. Law tried to avoid the inquisitive eyes, tried to ask where he was and to figure out how to escape.

However, at that moment, one of the women next to the stoves seemed to finally react to his presence and, while stepping out of the kitchen and in the company of her friend, she quickly went to him with her dress waving behind her.

"Look who has awakened at last" said the woman with a kind smile while she subtly tried to direct him to where he had come from with one hand on his back. Hiding him from the view of the rest of people in the room. "You should have called me, darling, you shouldn't get out of bed in your state".

Law stared at her, refusing to go back to the dark room. She seemed older than him and had that aura of a maternal woman who has spent her entire life surrounded by people to look after. Her long straight hair cascaded over her shoulders and she had dreamy blue eyes which would be the fantasy of many men. This was clearly an attractive and loving woman, but Law knew that if he pisses her off, blood would flow in rivers. She looked exactly like his little sister, cute and pretty, but with a great temper when needed.

"Where am I?" Law asked, not surrendering to the pain that overwhelmed him when thinking about his family, nor the dizziness and the feeling of vomiting from his lack of strength. His mind was clouded again, but he needed the information. He needed to feel safe and secure before fainting in the midst of this strange place.

"Lie down first, honey" the woman repeated pointing to the bed again with a nod of her head.

Law couldn't do more than obey her in the tense silence that surrounded them, and follow her to the bed, still too weak to even fight the woman. When he was back on the bed and the woman had locked the door, the lady tucked him back under each one of the heavy and oppressive blankets, wiped the sweat from his brow with one of the damp cloths that were on a stool next to the bed, and gently sat beside him, like a mother preparing her son for sleep.

"Where am I?" Law couldn't help repeating again, but was immediately embarrassed at how weak and pathetic his voice sounded with his mind fogging again.

Maybe he was worse than what he had deigned to recognize at first, but he still refused to surrender his inquisition. However the woman just smiled at his question as she removed the hair from his forehead in a gesture that reminded Law too much of a mother caressing her child.

"You're in the dark wood" she tensely announced. As if it was a dark secret that she didn't want Law to know about.

As if this was really the case.

"Nobody lives in the dark forest" Law angrily replied. Maybe he was weak and feverish, but he wasn't stupid. The dark forest was so thick and deep that no one dared to enter it for fear of the creatures that lived in there.

No one who loved his life lived between those trees since the world was created. Entering that place would be a suicide. Children learned that lesson at an early age, after hearing the roars and howls of the wolves escaping from the place on nights of full moon.

"Well darling, we do" The woman however said, looking at him completely serious, as if she needed Law to believed her words quickly, and not ask much more about the topic. The brown haired boy strangely believed her instantly this time.

But while doing that he found himself having little panic attack, because if he was indeed, in the dark forest, the place of legends and mysteries, he had a huge big problem.

Since he was a child his mother had told him thousands of stories about the place that edged their icy lands. Dark and gloomy legends about wild creatures that could kill just by looking at you and that could tear your soul with their bare hands. It wasn't a safe place and mothers taught their children to stay away from it from the start. No one entered that forest if he wanted to live. Even when Law had entered, it had been out of desperation trying to escape the enemy, and even in that situation, he had remained on the edge and hadn't ventured much into its deeps.

However from what he could see through the window -with the evening light that could barely illuminate his room- he must be in the heart of the forest where trees were so clustered that not even the light or snow could get through the close branches.

This was where the monsters lived and where nightmares of the North men took shape.

But maybe it was better that way. Nobody would try to invade this forest. In this desolate place his enemies wouldn't find him. Here, Law could be safe within these isolated people. This could be the safest place for him at the moment.

It would also be more difficult to get out when the time to take his revenge come, too.

"My name it's Robin, by the way. How old are you, kid? You're old enough and handsome enough to have a wife and children, is there someone waiting for you at home? Any place to come back?" The woman then continued asking, tucking him even more under the blankets and stroking his cheek with devotion as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

Law, however, felt his mind darkening again at the mention of his family and at the feel of the affectionate gesture. He hadn't been able to defend his people, he had failed to prevent the massacre. He didn't deserve this heartwarming affection.

"No," he said in a tense voice "no one".

The woman smiled pleasantly at his response, but still, after realizing Law dark and empty eyes, the smile faded from her face quickly. Robin knew that look like the back of her hand, she had seen it more times than she wanted in the eyes of the people of her own clan. The boy had lost something, something important, and seeing the wound he carried at his side, he must have lost it in the worst possible way.

The brunette couldn't help but feel sorry for that poor creature who was so clearly broken. Perhaps the fact that the boy was here would cause problems, but Robin couldn't let anyone do him any more harm. The vision she had seen in the forest when she had found the boy almost dead had been clear, and the brunette had sworn to protect the future of this boy with her own life, because that would also protect the clan's one.

That child would be essential for them in too many ways. She couldn't afford to lose him.

"Don't worry darling" she said, ruffling his hair like a mother trying to console her son. "You can stay here as long as you want, we just have to convince our stubborn Kidd that you aren't a threat and everything will be alright" she told him with that loving and a slightly conspiratorial voice.

Law frowned as he felt his eyes close at every new and loving caress of the brunette and the slight stupor that the heat of the blankets were causing him again.

"Who's Kidd?" He asked sleepily. He had never heard that name in his life. It sounded strange and pleasant in his ears, but it simply didn't belong to any family or clan of the country, otherwise Law would have known it.

The woman, however, only smiled amused at his sleepy face.

Law knew she was hiding something, he saw it in her eyes, in the silence and surprised faces of the men who had watched him when he had entered the dining room before, or in the strange scenario he suddenly was in. It was as if the dark haired man shouldn't be there, as if his mere presence had disturbed the peace of the strange forest and now something big was going to happen.

"You will meet him soon" the woman said evading the question and lovely tucking him one more time. Again looking at him with the look of someone who knows more than she wants to say "Sleep now, when food is done, I'll bring you a dish for you to recover and …"

Law wanted to protest to that last sentence. He still had questions. Who was Kidd? Why had they healed him? How long had he been sleeping? What were they hiding? Why were they living in the cursed woods? How were they still alive? The questions boiled in his mind, but the fever returned to flood him after the exercise and walking he had made, and Law just fell asleep in the warm room before even realizing that Robin had left him alone.


	2. The Liard

Well in this part Kidd comes out, I promise, I tried to made him like a Scottish kind of man (since the real pirate was Scottish and I wanted to use it since a long time ago), so he will be using a bit of the slang and clothes, but I don't know if the descriptions are to accurate (also if you don't understand the slang ask me), so if you can't imagine him with the strange costume, go see Elyon's art cos she drew him perfectly.

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The following week - trapped in this strange place - was one of the worst ones in the tanned boy's life. The first days, Law devoted himself to remain in bed, fighting the fever and nightmares that assaulted him whenever he closed his eyes. His life consisted of waking up between terrified pants covered in sweat, and falling back unconscious in the deepest darkness of the world.

The dark haired woman kept attending him all the time, bringing him food even before Law realized that he was hungry, or changing the bloody bandages with new ones every evening, trying to heal him stubbornly.

After the initial days of confusion and pain, Law finally regained some strength and, at least, was able to get to the main room without passing out from exhaustion with just a few steps. It was then, when he began to speak with the people that stayed in the main room - the ones that were still looking at him with suspicion - and he began to understand a little how this place worked.

The men of the first day, who had been playing cards and chatting, were called Ace, Zoro and Franky, and apparently they were three of several clan soldiers, and were now resting from patrols within the woods.

Law sometimes played cards with them or listened to their stories of conquests between jars of honey beer, but behind the smiles and laughter they shared, Law couldn't help noticing the uncomfortable tension within the place whenever he entered the room and tried to strike up a conversation. The dark haired boy tried to get some information during the talks about the clan, on which side they were or if they knew something, but, just like him, they hadn't trusted him yet, so nobody ever let go anything compromising and Law finally gave up.

After a few days Law even stopped trying to socialize with anyone and he just hid himself in his mind as the curious and almost annoyed looks keep surrounding him.

Still, Law realized after a few days that the clan was just too small. After three days of studying the locals, Law had counted only twenty men and women, who were clearly insufficient to keep a clan in the north alive. Yet, when he asked Robin about that problem -the only one that still spoke to him during Law's bandage change, and the one who seemed to be almost like the mother of the place- she just smiled and whispered a few words that left him even more confused.

"We're not like other men, honey. We don't need so many people to defend ourselves from enemies we are much more... resistant than the rest" she whispered as she covered his wound with a new roll of clean bandages. "In any case donna worry about those details and just focus on recovering, when Kidd arrives with the rest of the men, he will want to question you, and you would need a sharp mind" she said with that conspiratorial smile.

Law had repeated the words on his mind for several days trying to gasp their meaning, but as much as he observed the men playing cards or the kids running around, he saw no apparent difference between him and the huge men. They were loud trained soldiers, but they didn't have anything different like some sort of immortal strength or power that could save them from arrows or swords. After hours of thinking Law dismissed the strange comment, claiming that they were just words of pride from Robin to his clan, and that they didn't bore any deeper meaning.

Sometimes some teenagers also came to the castle looking for advice from Robin or for some snack to put into their mouth. Luffy was one of them. The teenager seemed too crazy, happy and hyper for Law to keep up in that time of mourning and recovery. At first glance the child had an intelligent look that he clearly was trying to hide behind that mindless appearance, and he looked like someone, Law will smoothly get along with despite the age difference. As with Zoro who adored swords. As with the doctor who loved botany.

But since the massacre Law wasn't the same.

The person staring back at him from the broken mirror in his room wasn't the one he had once been. HIs gray eyes had now a hard look on them and dark circles thanks to the nightmares, they didn't resemble his dreamy and cheerful look from just days ago. Even the way he walked and stood had changed. When once he had been standing towering and proud, as the heir he was, with his chin up and a confident look, with rosy cheeks and a trail of badly cut beard on his face; now, he could barely stand. His face was pale after losing so much blood and having spent so much time outdoors in the cold, the clothing he was wearing was too big for him, and he simply gave up the appearance of some looser about to die.

It was the perfect image for someone who had stopped caring about his appearance, for someone who no longer had anyone to impress.

But still the hardest blow had been for his personality.

Law saw it every day. If this had happened a few days before the incident, Law wouldn't have hesitated to start talking with the strangers, asking them about their traditions and their lives in the strange forest. Without doubt he would have unraveled the secrets of the dark forest around him, he would have made Robin explain her words, discussed things with Luffy, Zoro and Franky trying to satisfy his curiosity about these people. Now, however, he did nothing. Law now sat in the chair by the window in the more isolated and darkest part and observed the forest through the window all day.

He could spend hours there, remembering every scene from the last moments of his family. The screams, the blood. Again and again while the tea in his hands cooled down, and till a concerned Robin called him again to eat a dish that, at the end, he will never taste.

Law knew the people kept talking about him, about his strange behavior or the gaping wound in his side. The dark haired man heard the soft whispers and the tense and almost plaintive looks many of them sent his way. He still had the feeling that there was something they weren't telling him, something they were hiding from him, Robin even took the children away, and as if afraid they would tell him something he shouldn't know

However, Law didn't attempt to find it out. He had his own secrets to hide.

Hours turned into days and days into weeks. Tomorrow morning, 'Kidd', the patriarch of this clan, and the one who had spent days solving problems with the bandits in the west part of the forest will arrive. Tomorrow, the man would finally decide his future. The whole clan seemed to be awaiting his return and all were busy cleaning the place and preparing a huge welcome feast for the man. Now Robin paid nearly no attention to him with how busy she was with preparing everything, but Law didn't care about it because he was arranging his own plans.

Tomorrow, when the men arrived, he would try to convince that patriarch to help him in his revenge. According to what he had seen, that clan was far away from the rest of the northern clans and, clearly, they don't have anything in common with the enemy who had massacred his family. In any case they seemed neutral and, therefore, they could become allies if Law was able to convince the man. Law was prepared to offer his own icy lands -those that at least had a bit of light in contrast to the dark forest- if that helped convincing the clan leader. After all, they were the clan of the black forest, and although they weren't so many, they were surely strong enough to kill Law's enemies.

At least it would be better than to fight alone.

Law didn't entirely trust them yet. After the stunning slaughter that his family had suffered, confidence was something that Law couldn't afford, so at the end he decided to just seen the patriarch with his own eyes, and decided after if he could trust the man. He refused to say who he was or where he lived. He will see first. Then he will decide.

However, for now, Law had only heard whispers and a few comments about the mysterious head of the clan while the soldiers thought he wasn't paying attention. Apparently the young master seemed to be one of the strongest men who had ever set foot in that frozen land, and, according to the stories told by his proud men, no one seemed able to face him in a battle without ending up dead or severely wounded.

Law had also heard stories that showed that the man was intelligent and not just a barbarian with more muscles than brain. He had heard stories that told how, with only nine years old, he had been the youngest man to take control over the clan, and how, since then, had managed to make the mutilated and almost extinct clan become the great family that it was now.

Law had understood that the man -that now was almost thirty- would be an imposing opponent to fight with, and that he will be someone hard to convince to help him. The man had fought for his people since he had been just a child, Law was just a boy of twenty six years without any experience ruling over a clan. Law couldn't become a threat to the formidable man, but still he wouldn't give up, he had to take revenge on those who had destroyed his clan, and he needed this man and his clan as allies.

Law pulled at the blanket over his shoulders, slightly intimidated by his thoughts. He watched Robin cooking dinner for that night at the huge fireplace, while supervising Nami, who was making the stupidly big cake for tomorrow.

Law relied on his intelligence and his abilities, his father had often told him that he could become a minister in the capital if he wanted, with the mind he had. The dark haired boy knew that he could convince any man of whatever he wanted. Even that the sky was green. But what worried him the most was one of the phrases he had heard a couple of soldiers whispering as they argued about whether their boss would accept Law in their ranks or if he would send him the way he had come.

An issue that had become one of the favorite talking topics since he had arrived.

"He won't be able to leave the boy in the open with that cold" the first man discussed among loud whispers "He looks like he had returned from the dead, to throw him outside would be a death sentence. No one is so cruel, even Kidd won't allow such a thing".

"But the lord hates outsiders" the other had emphasized as they put their heads together conspiratorially " _Even more the one's of his kind_ ".

' _Hates outsiders'_ That was the phrase that kept haunting Law's mind, because, after losing everything, after being forced to flee and escape his own home, if there was something that Law had become, it was a stranger in his own land.

.

.

.

When the men arrived, Law was, as every day, sitting by the window with his hands still clenched around the cup as if longing for the lost warmth, and with a thin blanket of orange wool sheltering him from the cold. The dark haired boy had his bare feet still frozen from the cold stone floor of the place and from the clothes they had given him, which were still too big and thin from what Law was used to wear.

But still he couldn't complain. This was better than nothing, and Robin and the other men were too busy preparing the feast, to make them waste any time finding a pair of socks and warmer clothes for him.

His metallic eyes kept getting lost in the dark recesses of the forest on the other side of the window. Neither had he left the castle because of his precarious unhealthy state, nor had he ventured among tall trees. Law had only observed it from his lone place beside the window. But curiously the unsettling dark forest helped soothing and relaxing his mind. The branches of the trees were so dense and thick that Law could only see darkness where the light of the castle disappeared. Not even the snow was falling. Not even the wind blew. It was a dense and deep black mass of trees that, day after day, kept calling him to go with them and leave behind the warm and comforting castle.

To get lost in its muddy paths and discover its secrets. Calling him to die between its deep roots.

If Law continued to resist the temptation of suicide and death, it was simply for his revenge, for the last duty he had as the heir of his clan. Law only lived now for his revenge, and he could only count the hours and minutes until his ally and lord of the castle arrived, so the dark haired boy could try to convince him to join his battle.

Law was almost as anxious as the men of the clan preparing for the arrival of his master.

So, when the doors of the main hall -those who had always been closed, hiding the most important room of the castle- opened wide, letting in the cold breeze from outside and the smell of wet earth and snow, Law could just turn around impatient to see his future savior.

Dozens of soldiers covered in furs and metal entered the room, suddenly moaning in pleasure to feel the warm air against their face after days of walking through the frozen forest. Some shouted and waved to friends and family, others ran toward the jugs of beer that Robin had put on a sideboard, and the older ones just fell on the empty banks tired of the trip.

Law opened his eyes surprised by the group of men, because all of them were huge.

Law couldn't help noticing that each and every one of the smiling big men was, at least, two meters high. Law instantly compared them with huge growling bears greeting each other as they scattered around the room, instantly filling the atmosphere with a cozy and warm feeling that a clan always must have. The young soldiers who wore bright decorated wrought iron armors laughed among themselves, bragging about their love exploits as they approached the women cooking on the fire. The adults ignored them as they ran to soak their braided beards with a jar of mulled wine or meat, and sit by the fire evaluating how the mission had gone.

However, the dark haired boy almost lost all hope to see such barbaric beasts pacing in front of him without any education or respect.

Many of them looked at Law sideways dedicating him hateful glances, others just smiled at him amazed, but the most of them just ignored him and no one even spared him the slightest word or greeting.

Law quickly lost his good humor and willingness to ask anything from those beasts. That kind of people would be impossible to coordinate for a specific attack, they were too big, too noisy, too arrogant. They won't obey any order.

Law almost gave up his vengeance.

Or at least until he laid his eyes on the last and greatest man coming through the huge door.

Unlike the rest of men, content and happy to arrive at home, this man wasn't smiling at all. He just wore a serious and hard expression, like someone who doesn't have time for bullshit. His hair was of a bright red scarlet, and, although he seemed to be one of the youngest men in the room, with his imposing physique and his angry face, the man left completely clear who gave orders there.

Law could only stare at the head of this strange clan in the middle of a legendary forest.

The dark haired boy had never seen such a man. He was like one of the warriors emerged from the legends his mother told him.

The scarlet tousled locks fell over his forehead framing harsh and angular features that would make a woman faint just by seeing him. Some strands of hair had been braided in knots of intricate designs following the northern tradition. They were a mark that designated him as the patriarch of the clan, but they seemed almost natural in the man's unruly hair.

His eyes were a strange amber color, almost dark gold, with long red eyelashes framing them and an acute intelligence dancing in their gilded depths. His intense eyes, with his angry expression, and his clenched jaw, showed a quite intimidating picture, and when the man scrutinized everything around him with studied order, he looked like a predator studying his territory in search of something out of order.

Law then looked down slightly, focusing on the broad shoulders of the man, who could be twice his own without problem, and the strong and powerful chest muscles under them. Despite the heavy fur coat and the tight tunic of maroon wool he was wearing, Law could see every curve of every abb and every line of each pectoral of the redhead's chest.

The man was just perfection.

Warriors like him no longer existed in this world, no matter how much they trained, no man could get so many muscles without selling his soul. Law almost had to close his mouth that had fallen open when seeing him.

Someone like him couldn't really exist in this world.

The imposing man took two long steps entering the room following another blonde, and Law could almost feel the sound of his heavy feet sheathed in leather boots echoing through the room. The redhead moved with agility and elegance that weren't normal for someone his size, but that strangely resembled one of those cats that roamed the mountains in search of prey to catch. Law could only fix his gaze on his strong legs and get hypnotized by the movements of powerful muscles moving under perfect tight clothing. However, his scrutiny didn't last long when the stunning redhaired man stopped abruptly, closed his eyes and wrinkled his nose as if he had smelled something that bothered him.

"…Where's the idiot who's dared set a foot in this castle?" the man asked to the crowded room with a hoarse and low voice that raised every hair on the tanned boy's body.

Law closed his eyes, trying to control his stunned mind and the strange reactions of his body, and focus on the problem at hand. The room had fallen silent after the question of the patriarch, and Law instantly felt several pairs of eyes boring into his head, condemning him.

There was his confrontation, his chance, what he had expected. Now he needed to convince this imposing warrior that he was completely harmless and that he needed his help. Now he needed to manipulate the most impressive warrior he had never seen.

Sighing deeply, the tanned man reopened his eyes to the silent room and his eyes instantly got caught in the golden polls that were the eyes of the man called 'Kidd' who was still standing in the middle of the room. Law's breath caught in his chest when he felt all the intensity and fury of the man, focused entirely on him.

"Who are you?" the man asked with a loud voice full of disgust that made the question echo in the enormous and now silent room.

But Law suddenly couldn't speak. The pressure, the panic of failure, the stunning look of that man. It was too much. The words stuck in his throat without deigning to leave.

Instantly the murmurs and laughter arose around him while a nervous but still smiling Robin approached the redhead, trying to explain the situation. "We found him in the woods ..." she muttered to the man quickly, "he was about to die" "He knows nothing".

The redhead instead pushed the woman away smoothly, and walked steadily across the room to where Law sat, still with his hands around the cup of tea and with his foot bared on the chair next to the window. Law suddenly felt too small and helpless as the redhead stopped next to him and bent over him trying clearly to intimidate him.

"Who. Are. You. Bastard?" He repeated again with a low and restrained tone. As if he could scarcely contain his anger. Law almost trembled before the huge man, having him so close, the redhead was looking at him as if he could kill him right there.

But suddenly, Law's mind started working again.

After a week without murmuring more than two words a day, after a week without allowing himself to feel absolutely anything fearing of the agony that awaited him if he did, Law felt the anger and sense of aggravation flooding his veins.

Maybe the man was the head of that clan of towering men, he may reign over the black dangerous forest and he may be the very definition of a warrior with braided red hair and powerful muscles.

But so was Law.

He now had become the chief of his destroyed clan, now he also was a warrior who would destroy everything in its path in pursuit of revenge. He had nothing to be ashamed of. He wasn't inferior to this man, and, of course, Law didn't have to stand the man's horrible temper or his stunning lack of education. So, glaring at the redhead in front of him with his own silvery gaze, he replied:

"Someone who will break your face if you dare insult me again" he finally answered with all the arrogance he had, and with a fake smile on his face.

Silence filled the room again while Law watched the redhead's eyes open in surprise, and turn from the icy hateful glance from the beginning to one that seemed almost full of respect and fascination. As if suddenly he had seen Law for the first time and had liked what he had found.

Law gulped, convincing himself that this look had only been part of his imagination.

Still, Law didn't have much time to notice the redhead's impressed eyes, when the whole room erupted in laughter and the redhead turned away from him as if Law suddenly burned. Law looked totally dazed at his environment, while the men, old and young, looked at him happily and laughing.

"We must recognize, that the lad is brave" whispered the blond man with long hair and a face crossed by long, deep scars, who had entered a moment before with the redhead.

"I think we will get along pretty well" continued another man with black hair, bared chest and strange net trousers.

The redhead however quickly changed his attitude again and clenched his fists as he angrily stared at Law.

Law knew in that moment, that any chance he might have had to convince the man to help his cause, had disappeared with his last comment. Indeed, just watching his teeth and the look of pure hatred that the man was sending Law's way, he knew that if he told his story now, the man would only send him to the enemy clan in a gift box.

His mother had always told him that he had to think before speaking, because he had a very volatile temper that could cause him problems. Law now wondered if it was now time to learn controlling this little problem and listen to his wise mother.

"Come with me" the redhead said instead, ignoring the laughter of the men around them drinking and talking happily, and grabbing Law's arm forcing him to rise from the chair sharply.

Law instantly gritted his teeth containing a cry of pain, when the stitches of the wound on his torso, opened with the sudden movement, and began to bleed, staining the clean bandages.

With a grimace of discomfort on his face, Law released his arm from the redhead's hand and pressed on the wound in his side, trying to stop the bleeding while he took deep breaths to contain the searing pain.

Motherfucker.

Cursing under his breath, but refusing to show the slightest weakness in front of the imposing red-haired monster, Law stood proud on his ground and turned his face to yell at the idiot. But the tanned boy could only stare surprised at the almost frightened look the motionless big man in front of him was suddenly sending his way. Law again found himself speechless and the whole argument in his mind vanishing in seconds. Was the man worried? Regretting what he had done? Because he had hurt him? Why?

Law frowned and wanted to ask, however, before Law could say something about that strange moment, the man remade his expression to the hard and serious one, and simply tugged at him to follow.

But this time with much more delicacy and care.

Law, stunned by what had just happened and without knowing much else to do, just obeyed the man and followed him among the people that were returning to pay attention to their family and friends. Some men turned to look at him curiously. Others sent him amused smiles and nods. Law only followed the redhead to the door of the main hall and beyond it to the entrance of the castle built into the ground. They quickly crossed the two dark and huge rooms that had clearly been empty for a long time and Law said nothing as the man opened the massive front door and left the castle to walk into the dark and ancient forest.

Law was still barefoot and the clothes he was wearing were too thin for the northern climate, but he only clenched his teeth and continued walking behind the redhead until the tall trees of the black forest surrounded them.

Wet leaves crunched under the soles of his feet, wounding and freezing his skin with their sharp edges. The icy north wind that blew under the thin blanket covering him made Law tremble, and even the wound at his side seemed to start hurting more as they moved away from the first line of trees illuminated by the light of the castle, and into the deep dark interior of the woods.

But Law still remained silent, not complaining in the least, knowing that his survival depended on the conversation he was going to have with the redhead.

The man continued to walk a few more steps into the nightmare woods, and finally stopped in front of a dark and hidden oak that raised its twisted and huge branches to the canopy of the forest, creating the thick blanket over them.

Without saying anything, the redhead turned to face him, and this time, Law noted that he seemed to have a much more quiet and curious look on his face. As if suddenly he had put his thoughts in order, or as if Law suddenly interested him.

Law gave him a suspicious look fearing the worse. Had the man recognized him? Did he know who Law was? Would he sell him to his enemies? Law couldn't remember seeing this man before or having ever heard of a clan living in the dark forest that made border with his own land, his father had never mentioned them. Had his father hidden the information from him? Was there something he wasn't remembering?

There were so many questions.

"What's ya'r name?" the man with bright red hair asked approaching Law. Quickly invading his personal space again in another attempt of intimidation "How did ya find this place?"

His golden eyes had again that intense and serious hue that got on Law's nerves so quickly, and the man would not stop looking at him for a damn second, as if Law had something he found fascinating. Law even thought for a moment that the man seemed to be smelling him like a dog sniffing a new person, but that would have been stupid.

Law, uncomfortably, swallowed hard. Still, when he tried to back off a few steps from the laird of the clan, the man followed him until they ended in the same starting position, intimately close, and Law finally resigned to the inevitable.

As much as the whole situation disturbed him, as much as he wanted to get away from that perfect man to keep some mental health, Law knew that he also had to give something up. He had to play by the rules of this man. If he want to find shelter, he not only needed to let the man play that stupid act of intimidation, he also needed to give the man something that could convince him to let him stay in his castle, at least, until he has healed completely. He needed to be a harmless victim.

"My name is ... Water Law" he said using the maiden name of his mother. The name of his father was too well known in the north and Law didn't want to give more clues about his identity to the redhead. He still didn't know if he could trust him after the fight they had had a moment ago "and I didn't found the place, I just woke up here. I don't know exactly where I am" he simply replied.

"Where are ye from?" the laird continued asking. Without even doubting his answers and closing their bodies even more until Law's nose nearly hit the man's collarbone.

The tanned boy, angry and nervous, bit his lip as the redhead took another deep breath against his hair sniffing again. But he refused to look up to show up the huge height difference between them. In contrast, he only focused his gaze on the pale collarbone and strong chest he could see through the thin red shirt the man was wearing.

How could he have such pecs? How could someone be so attractive? Law clenched his fists, tensing, completely drowning in the body heat from the older man. God this was too much temptation, his mind was beginning to lose concentration and it wasn't just thanks to the cold or the searing pain of his wound.

"I-I'm from the South, a village next to Rhewlif" he lied with the first location he could think of.

This time the man looked at him seriously, for a long time, as if he knew he was lying. Law just prayed that the other believed him and ceased to stare his head with those golden eyes. Law didn't know if he would last long with this farce, his head was clouding, and having that imposing man so close, was damaging his ability to lie.

Law helplessly shivered in the cold place while hiding under the blanket covering his shoulders. He couldn't feel his toes anymore and even the steam escaping his mouth with every breath looked weaker by each passing second.

It was then, with that small gesture of weakness from his part, that the man's pose changed again.

Without looking at his face the dark haired boy could see perfectly how the redhead tensed at his gesture. He saw his hands move closed to his body in an attempt to protect him from the cold with a hug, however, like remembering in the last moment that Law was the enemy and that he shouldn't comfort him, he stopped halfway remaining in an awkward and stupid gesture that created a tense silence between them.

Again stunned by the protective attitude of a man he barely knew, Law looked up and glared at the redhead without understanding what was happening. But the redhead instead avoided his gaze, finally backed away a good distance from him and turned his back to Law while passing a hand over his face in a frustrated gesture.

Law glared at the redhead. Why was he acting like that? Did he think that Law needed to be protected and taken care off? Was that the reason he had been so delicate? Why had he changed his tone to that friendly one? Did he think Law was someone who couldn't even stay outside in the cold?

Because Law was not weak.

Law would rather die before letting another person feel sorry for him, he didn't need anyone to pitying him or to helping him just out of compassion. He didn't deserve such treatment nor will it be of any use to him. He needed warriors who would fight by his side to annihilate his enemies, not worried mothers that wanted to look after him.

Unconsciously he clenched his fists in anger. If the image he was giving now was that of a helpless and homeless boy who had nothing in life, his ancestors would be screaming of shame in their graves. How was he supposed to defeat his enemies in this way? They would laugh in his face if they see him that way.

"D'ya have a home to return to?" asked the redhead then, returning him to the world. Although again using that low and quiet tone people used to reassure a crying child, and still not turning to face him.

Law wearily repeated the question in his mind. A home? Any place to come back? The tanned boy shivered again but for a different reason. Instantly the anger that had been invading him vanished to be replaced by the purest pain and cold emptiness. Yes, he had a home, one that now lay buried under layers of snow and ashes. He had a home, he now had a burned land and a useless title. But they didn't mean anything to him. He had no one to share them with anyway.

"No" he replied as dryly as he could, trying to control his voice despite the impotence and pain he felt.

The redhead sighed beside him at his response and turned, with his hands in his pockets, to look at the castle surrounded protected by black branches of trees. The laughter and the warmth of the fire escaped through the windows, the smell of grilled food surrounded them, the cries of children and the laughter of the soldiers invited them to enter.

Almost like a paradise a few steps away.

However, the silence grew between them long and cold, and Law only shivered once more in the cold wind of the night, completely away from that paradise. The redhead was thinking, reaching a decision about his future. Law was again too immersed in black memories too try to urge him.

"All right," the man finally said turning to look at him "you can stay".

Law nodded with a sigh of relief at his words. At least he would recover from his wounds before resuming his revenge, at least he could rest and see if he could finally trust this man and make him his ally.

"... But ya'll stay with me" the redhead added quickly frowning at his face of relief "I donna trust you and I donna want to cause any more trouble to my people because of you."

Law glared at him. He preferred to stay with Robin rather than with this rude attractive man. Law knew he could end up trying to kill one possible ally if the redhead insulted him again. He won't have enough patience to deal with the man's bullshit. For a moment Law fought against the decided look of the redhead, wanting to protest.

He did not trust the man, but for now that didn't matter. To live with the redhead would help him to know and understand if the man could become a potential ally or not. Law would have time to judge the man while he recovered.

If he healed and he didn't think of the redhead worth an ally, Law would leave that forest and never return. Maybe it was better to live with that idiot. This way no bonds would form with the people here that could hinder him when he went away. He wouldn't miss Robin or the other soldiers he had been playing cards with for days, trying to cheer himself with their laughter.

There wasn't anything to worry about when living with this man. Everything was under control.

Without taking his eyes off of the man's golden ones, Law nodded, accepting the deal.

* * *

And finally they are together as they should be, hope you are liking the story


	3. The Forest

Well in this chap I start with Kidd's perspective, so I can explain his own problems and what he things of pretty boy Law. I'm also presenting their lovely sweet home that might be a bit…weird, strange, awesome….well hope you like it.

* * *

Kidd, sitting on a bank in his castle, drank again from the metal jar in his hands, full of sweet mead. The drink - soft and sweet - went down his throat, warming his body and soul after weeks of walking through the cold forest hunting preys. Kidd, helplessly, closed his eyes enjoying the feeling of his fingers tingling under the alcohol and the spicy scent enveloping him as his entire clan and family laughed around him.

However, when he reopened his eyes after the feeling had faded from his body, his eyes instantly flew to where a dark haired boy hold again a cup of cold tea. The boy was now surrounded by several of his men who kept asking him questions and giving pats on little his back, laughing happily at the newcomer. Clearly his people had adopted the boy as part of the clan quickly, and even more, after the little public fight they had had, the confused boy would surely need to fight to get rid of them all. His clan respected courage and pride above anything, and after facing the laird of the damn clan, the tanned boy surely would have won a fairly high rank on their list.

Meanwhile Kidd could only glare at anyone who approached the boy with a possessive and dangerous look.

"Kidd, is something wrong? You are acting way too strange since we've arrived" asked Killer, a soldier with powerful muscles and long blond hair, and Kidd's best friend since childhood.

The huge red-haired man growled low at him, hating to speak now. Killer knew how to read him like an open book, and he was sometimes too smart for his own good managing to piss Kidd off way too fast sometimes.

"It's n'thing" the redhead replied dryly not wanting to discuss the issue, ignoring his friend and focusing on the perfect huge jar of mead in his hands, and in the smile the boy illegitimately showed again to another of his men.

"You aren't being complicated just because you have realized the boy is your mate, are you?" The blonde asked innocently, continuing to talk about the issue Kidd wanted to avoid the most.

The red-haired laird instantly slammed the jug on the table with a loud noise causing several eyes to turn to look at them, and, ignoring them all, he glared hatefully at Killer. With that dangerous and smart look that reminded the blond man what would happen if he continued down that path.

"He's _not_ my mate" Kidd sentenced coolly. Leaving no objection and making Killer sigh dramatically. His friend got up from the table where the redhead was sitting, leaving him alone with his temper. Kidd just growled even more annoyed. He hated arguing with Killer. Especially since at the end he always ended up looking like a fool and needed to apologize.

Helplessly he recalled the origin of his foul mood.

When Kidd had returned to the castle after resolving the conflict in the western edge of the forest with his men, the scent of something pleasant and sublime he had never met before had completely overwhelmed his senses. His whole being had suddenly been immobilized, his mind completely focused on that perfect scent, and Kidd had just felt like the world was moving under his feet, reconfiguring itself because of that alluring smell. But also, his mind had instantly recognized the scent as something foreign, and the animal part of his mind had exploded in rage.

There was an intruder in _his_ territory.

Drowning in rage he had asked for the stranger, he had roared, with his mind helplessly confused by the smell and the situation, but when he had finally laid his eyes, along with the rest of his clan, on the dark haired man beside the window, his mind had just stopped working.

At that moment it was as if a light had suddenly lit itself in his mind, and Kidd knew two things clearly for the first time in his life: one, that man was his mate, the one with whom he will share his life and the one he will die for; and two, that the boy was completely and utterly _human_.

His mind exploded in chaos after he understood those simple facts.

On one hand, his whole being cried of happiness. Kidd felt his senses sharpened, his muscles tensed and his heart pumping fast in his chest making him feel more alive than ever, and it all thanks to that boy. He had finally found the person who he would share his life with, the one that would give him a happy life as beautiful as his parents had had. His race had always been known to devote a lifetime to their mates, and Kidd had finally found his.

The redhead instantly wanted to run to him, wanted to know the name of his other half and every part of his history. He wanted to suck that delicious scent that already surrounded him, from that soft hair and slim body where it would be even stronger. He wanted to devour the boy in a kiss that he had been waiting to give his whole life. Fate had finally brought him his mate and Kidd for a moment thought of keeping him and not let him go ever.

But on the other hand Kidd was afraid. He was the head of the clan and he must protect his people, and he should protect them from beings just like the one in front of him. From _humans_. Humans had always rejected them for being who they are, they had killed and persecuted them for centuries until, in the end, they were forced to live in that forest where not even the light entered. Because of them, they had to learn to hide their presence and to live in the shadows.

And it should remain that way. Humans shouldn't know about their existence for various reasons. Kidd couldn't tell the boy what he really was, the boy would not accept his true self. The boy was a human.

 _His mate was human and would never accept him._

Full of anger and frustration, because fate had decided to laugh at his cost in such a cruel way - taking away the only hope he ever had, to punish him instead with that curse - Kidd had run where the boy had been and had shouted the first thing that crossed his mind. He had wanted to relieve the frustration, he had wanted to make him pay for the mere fact of being born as something different from what Kidd had wanted.

But the boy, instead of being intimidated as Kidd had expected him to be, had replied in the same tone. Pissed. Arrogant. _Without fear_. Killer had then said that the boy had balls. Kidd couldn't agree more. The boy was everything that Kidd had ever dreamed for since childhood, when he had thought about how his mate will be. Unlike submissive girls in the clan, unlike the entire clan who, by nature, obeyed the laird in every command, the boy had replied and stood against him.

The animal part of Kidd instantly recognized him as _his own_. His mind could only get lost in those beautiful gray eyes that the boy had, and Kidd just watched that miracle dumbfounded, while he still tried to figure out how the anger had become adoration with only a few simple words from the younger.

Stunned, he could only stare at the skin of the boy, that appeared to be softer than pure silk. He could just fall in love with the way his black hair fell down his cheeks in a disorderly and wild way, that instantly led him to imagine them scattered on the pillow of his bed. The boy was tall for someone of his race, Kidd wouldn't even have to bend too much to join their lips in a kiss, to flood his lungs with his scent, to taste what was his. The boy didn't even has the imposing musculature of Kidd's race, but the redhead couldn't help but revere each curve of defined muscles that could be perceived through the thin clothes he wore.

Without knowing why, Kidd had instantly wanted to jump him and show the boy that he should obey to whom he belonged. He had wanted to mark him, for his entire clan to see, so no one dared to snatch him away. But again the fear had arisen. The fear that the boy would reject him for his nature, the fear that the boy would want to kill him, the fear of what his clan would think if he mated with a human. What his people, who he needed more than anything in this world, would think of him.

Kidd's main duty were his family and his people. His duty was to protect those weaker than him from any harm.

Even if the danger was his own mate.

Recalling his main duties and totally tense with the sudden situation, Kidd decided to talk to the boy apart. His intent had been then to kill him right there if the child was a threat to his clan - if he was some sort of spy or had the power to destroy them - but when he had pulled at the boy to take him outside, the boy had doubled in pain and instantly the metallic smell of blood had filled the air while Robin's words had echoed in his head 'we found him in the woods', 'was about to die.'

It was as if they kicked him in the stomach. Instantly an instinct that he hadn't known he possessed, had dominated him and Kidd had nearly fallen to his knees in front of the boy to beg his forgiveness, feeling like the most despicable creature of this world for hurting him. When the boy had opened his eyes and had looked at him with resentment, Kidd himself had vowed that he would never again in his life make the slightest damage to that perfect creature.

Then, he had realized he would never be able to kill the boy if he really was a threat, the animal part would be unable to kill his mate. His only way to save the situation, was that the boy disappeared from his world as if he had never been there, and to do that he should definitely stay away from him. Kidd knew that if he spent more time than necessary in the presence of this beautiful creature that had been created just to be with him and to give him the greatest happiness of his life, Kidd would selfishly keep him forever no matter if he destroyed his clan.

Humans were the enemy, Kidd remembered. The boy had to leave before it was too late.

But then they had spoken under the oak, Kidd had asked and the boy had dutifully answered. Everything had been perfect, both alone enjoying the privacy of the old forest, the boy suddenly had been unable to look at him, tensing every time Kidd approached as if he too felt the connection. That stupid little time had been simply perfect. Although Kidd clearly knew that there was something the boy was hiding, and that this something could be dangerous to himself and his family, Kidd had just lost himself in the conversation with the dark haired boy.

His intention had been to stay away from him and expel him from his territory if he had to. He had intended to wrest his secrets to see if he was a threat. Instead he had done just the opposite.

When the boy had trembled due to the cold, when the boy had shown him that dead and lost look without the slightest hope, Kidd had wanted to spill blood in his name, and he had then released the five damned words that would condemn him forever ' _ye will stay with me_ '.

When the boy had nodded in accordance with that grateful look that made him feel like the best man in the world, Kidd had known he had sealed his and his family's downfall forever.

.

.

.

Law followed the redhead down the narrow road between the dry leaves of the forest, further and further into the dense foliage. The forest stood totally dark and intimidating around him, plunged in an eerie calm and silence.

Law hurried a bit, feeling his feet slipping inside of the boots that Robin had given him before. When the redhead had announced to the clan that Law would stay with him, Robin had instantly come up with some more thick clothes to protect him from the frozen weather. Law couldn't help feeling that the brunette was like a mother in that place, always cooking, smiling and caring that everyone was well and happy.

Law liked her, she was like a big sister, always behind him, giving him tea and spending time with him in the dark afternoons. In addition, the clothes she had given him this time, were at least more suited to his body than the ones he had had before. The black leather coat reached to his ankles, and the pants this time set on his waist thanks to a heavy leather belt. But what Law liked the most were the worn leather boots that the brunette had given him with a conspiratorial smile. The heavy shoes were lined with fur inside and had several studs to fit to his legs. Law could run miles with them, could jump in puddles of water and they would still continue to be perfectly dry and warm.

Doubting, Law observed the redhead who walked among the dense trees steadily, with boots similar to his. They had been walking for a while among black and identical trees, away from the castle, and following a path that only the red-haired man knew. Since they had entered the dark forest Law had been concerned about the nightmares that would await him there. The thousands legends and sinister stories had come to his mind, but after several minutes, without even listening to a birdsong, and with the redhead's huge figure walking silently before him, Law was beginning to relax.

At least, all he could relax in this situation.

"Don't you live in the castle?" the dark haired man couldn't help but ask, slightly tired. Clearly he hadn't fully recovered from the injury on his side, and he won't be able to continue the long walk for much longer.

"No" The redhead said dryly without even deigning to look at him, as he dodged another root between soil and leaves continuing on his way.

Law sighed and was tempted to roll his eyes.

Since the last conversation they had had, the man had completely ignored him as if he didn't even exist, as if his mere presence in that forest offended him. Law didn't know why, but he was slowly beginning to get angry because of that attitude. The redhead himself had been the one who had proposed that they cohabited, Law would have happily stayed in the castle with Robin, he didn't understand that attitude now coming from the redhead. However it might be better to not speak too much and remain strangers to each other. The man wouldn't discover his lies and secrets, and Law would be able to leave in peace when the time came.

Surely it was better to not create links.

When the redhead finally stopped in the middle of a clearing, Law almost sighed with relief. The headache was back together with the stabbing pain in his ribs, and the dark haired boy knew he was about to faint amid the dark forest. Still, as the stubborn person he was and with his pride slightly wounded thanks to the red-haired bastard, Law quickly pretended that nothing was wrong and just looked around with curiosity.

It was a small clearing formed by a group of trees that had grown up forming a circle. In the middle, the ground was covered by a thick blanket of red and orange leaves, and on the sides, the huge black tree trunks acted like sentinels and guardians of the place, raising their branches to the high clouded sky. The low fog and mist scattered in the corners and Law thought he even saw a group of bright red mushrooms frozen forever in that cold weather.

It was a beautiful and magical place. But it was just a clearing.

"... You live here?" He asked, not sure how to react.

He had expected at least four walls and a roof. He didn't want to offend the man who had accommodated him in his clan, but Law wasn't going to sleep on the wet and frozen ground in the middle of nowhere. Especially with a wound on his body and after he had finally gotten warm. If the redhead wanted to sleep right there like a prehistoric animal, he was fine with it, but Law would go back to the castle and the soft bed where he had been sleeping the last days.

However, before he could complain about it, Kidd turned to face him with an offended frown. As if he knew perfectly well by Law's skeptical expression, what was going through his mind, and found it completely offensive that Law would even think that.

"No, idiot" he said with glaring eyes "I live up there" he said, raising an arm and pointing to the twisted branches and thick foliage protecting the clearing from the snow.

Law followed the indicated direction and finally looked to the top of the huge trees, suddenly speechless.

Running along the trees that narrowed the clearing, between large and thicker branches, someone had erected the structure of a house. Small rooms out of stone and wood were distributed around the trees in a perfect circle, each unique and exquisite with different shapes and styles, as if they had been made separately. Just like the houses of witches out of the old stories.

Law gasped watching the twisted and moss covered roofs, and the walls of black and red stone mixed with colored woods, that surrounded them cozily. The rooms even had covered walkways to go from one to another and from tree to tree. There were stairs winding up to the top of the trunks like snakes coiling around their prey, there were beautiful vines with strange flowers covering some walls. It was an incredible job of sculpture, woodworking and engineering. There were windows carved into the stones and woods with colored glasses, there were wooden wonders with such details that would make the artists from the southern continent blush in shame, and, on the main building, the huge clan ensign hang resplendent with roaring bears and wolves.

Law lowered his head to look at the redhead, not believing that wonder in front of him, and found the man looking at him with a proud and almost satisfied smile on his face.

"H-how?" He asked confused, but forcing himself to contain a little his surprise. He had never seen a building like this anywhere, not even his mother had talked about something similar in her stories.

The redhead shrugged.

"Every member of the clan has one personal house somewhere on the forest for himself and his family. This is mine, my ancestors built it, and each generation has been adding different things" he explained as he went forward to the main building "The...clan men, donna get along very well when they have to live together in one place, and there's usually some fighting, so it's better to live separately"

Law looked at him blankly.

"And the castle?"

"It's the meeting place for the clan... there lives Robin, and also the doctor. The castle is the center of the clan, we celebrate feasts and banquets, and we can go whenever we want, but each member has the privacy of his own site".

Law nodded fascinated as he followed the redhead to a big tree he realized had little stairs -invisible from the distance- carved on the wood that climbed to a small porch. Kidd stood in front of the stairs and motioned with his head for him to go up to the domains of the head of the clan. Law hesitantly put a hand on the rough bark, feeling overwhelmed by how old and ancient everything seemed.

"Why in the trees?" He asked before promoted to the first step and began to climb with all the elegance that one could have climbing a tree.

"Cos hunters never look up"

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.

.

Kidd walked through the labyrinthine house closing windows and sliding doors close with locks, making sure, like every night, that no one would be able to attack or enter his territory without his consent. His bare feet walked on the cold wood, which was polished after years of use, and stood in the last window that remained unclosed: the one overlooking a breathtaking view of the dark and silent forest under the house.

The redhead closed his eyes and breathed in the cold, damp air of the forest for a moment, he drank in the gentle caress of the mist surrounding him, the rustling of the leaves and the familiar smell of the wet earth. Kidd instantly felt his whole body relaxing for the first time this day. His breathing slowed in his chest, his mind cleared and his sharpened senses opened, as the huge predator listened quietly to the forest at his feet.

Nothing hovered around. He didn't hear anything suspicious or dangerous. _They were safe._ Comfortable with the silence that surrounded the place, Kidd closed the window with a practiced hit and secured the latch, checking it twice to make sure it was really closed.

Kidd repeated the little ritual of locks and windows every night since he was a child. The instinct to ensure the safety of his territory and to control everything around him arose in each of the men of his clan at an early age, but Kidd knew tonight he was being too paranoid. Not only had he secured the doors and windows, but he already had revised all of them twice and his instinct screamed to him to do it a third time.

Which was an absurd and a complete and utter waste of time. But he couldn't avoid it. It was the stupid instinct. His mate was at home, and the animal part of his mind was screaming to him to protect the boy, no matter how much it annoyed his other human half.

Kidd sighed remembering the source of his problems. Since he had entered his house, the boy hadn't stood still for a moment. With that curious look Kidd was already beginning to fall in love with, the boy had walked up and down his house, room by room and closet by closet, exploring the house. The redhead had heard his footsteps strolling through the gallery of the library and study, at a slow and almost overwhelmed pace, making Kidd unable to hide the smile on his face. He was completely proud of the huge collection of books covering each little part of the huge hall - from floor to ceiling in a perfect semicircle - plagued with stories and the knowledge of the world.

Kidd had heard the boy sit on the plush sofas in the lounge in front of the warm fire, he had heard him open the kitchen shelves or holding his breath on the bathroom, on one of the lowers room, that had a little pool carved in black stone that also had one of the best inventions of the whole house: a little warm waterfall that splashed delicately on the water of the pool full of flowers that had fell from the roof's plants.

The redhead had wanted to follow him instantly, Kidd had wanted to ascend with him the stairs to the small observatory that rose even above the treetops and that revealed a beautiful starry sky over an eternal white blanket of snow. Kidd had wanted to show him the armory with weapons used by his ancestors and himself in old wars, he had wanted to show him the dining room with the color-stained glass, the wardrobe room, his room...

But simply he couldn't.

He refused to accept the boy, a human, as his partner. Although the dark haired boy was everything he had ever dreamed of, although his mere presence seemed to tempt him with every breath and with every blink of those long eyelashes, Kidd still refused to admit him in his life. A human would damage the clan like they had always done, his heart would even be ripped apart when the boy discovered his true nature and ran away from his side. Kidd couldn't afford to find and then lose his partner, it would destroy him, and the clan needed him strong and powerful.

The clan was always first. Kidd had promised to care for and protect the boy, but when he recovered, the boy needed to go. There was no other option.

So he had ignored him. Kidd had removed his frozen and heavy boots and the threadbare coat covered in claw scratches and blood stains, while the boy explored his house leaving that delicate scent in each one of his rooms. Kidd had forced himself to ignore it, he had forced himself to hold the animal in him that roared loudly, desperate to chase the boy and watch his fascinated face as he explored _his_ territory.

So Kidd instead had showered quickly on the waterfall, listening to the heater melting the snow on top of the trees, and watching the flowers swim around his feet on the empty pool. He had got dressed, thinking how he needed to plan with Killer a new strategy to prevent the wolves to enter the forest, and he had prepared a quick dinner for the boy and himself focusing only on following the recipe. He had refused to let his mind wander at all, and fully occupied himself on what he was doing and in his responsibilities. But then the boy had entered the kitchen, probably attracted by the smell of meat cooking, everything had gone to hell.

Kidd then had been unable to deny the incredible tension between them when the boy had looked at him from head to foot with a look of surprise. Kidd, without thinking much about what he had been doing, had taken only thin long pants when he had left the shower. Like he always used to do when he was alone at home. Now he realized that maybe this hadn't been the best option.

Kidd had felt his skin crawl with the almost hungry look the tan young boy sent to his naked body, going from the huge scars from old battles and the defined muscles of his chest, to travel down his body to the soft line of red hair that stopped at his crotch. A sweet smell had filled the room. The boy's lips had trembled as his eyes dilated. Kidd had shivered as something grew even harder underneath his thin pants with an amazing speed.

The redhead had turned instantly, avoiding the gaze of the boy and cursing himself for his oversight. But the damage was done and both ate the soft flesh of the pheasant in a tense silence, while Kidd pretended not to notice the intense gazes that the boy sometimes sent his way believing that Kidd didn't realize them. The redhead ignored the chills coursing through his body thanks to the incredible and aroused scent of the boy now flooding his territory and mingling with his own.

The tension was just too much. Kidd could have made a comment, he could have stretched a hand across the dark oak table and he knew that the boy would have been _his_ forever.

When, after the dinner he had left the room to close the house as he was doing now for the second time, Kidd had almost sighed with relief. But now, having finished everything, as he returned to his room where he knew the boy was waiting, Kidd knew his torture had just begun.

Because the huge house only had one bed.

When he has been a child and his parents had lived with him, things had been different. He'd had his own room, his parents had had another one, and there had even been several empty guest rooms for the clan people who came visiting. But when his parents had died, leaving him alone with the burden of having to care and rule the clan, Kidd had taken refuge in his loneliness and in the need to make them feel proud of the man he would become. Without hesitation, he had thrown away everything that had reminded him of his old family, not wanting to mourn his loss more than necessary and cause the clan to suffer at the expense of his own selfishness. He had thrown away every object in the house that wasn't absolutely necessary for survival, and Kidd had lived for years as a hermit with just the minimum.

After recovering from the loss and after maturing, Kidd had refilled the house slowly, but he hadn't bought another bed again, because he had simply never needed one.

Now, as he walked back into his room and watched the boy, curled up under the covers of his bed, Kidd never had regretted something so much as he did now.

Standing in the doorway, Kidd contained the possessive roar in his mouth and the tremors in his hands, as he watched his cherished mate sleeping peacefully in the heart of his territory. _In his bed_. With Kidd's scent surrounding him and soaking into his tanned skin and the boy's spicy one flooding the room that had always belonged to the redhead. Kidd took a deep breath, savoring the mixed smells and recording them in his mind as an animalistic whimper got caught in his throat again.

Dizzy he leaned against the wooden wall while he barely managed to contain the animal within himself. That part of his soul that kept snarling, and pleading him to follow his mate to the bed, to close his lips over that tempting skin that could be seen through the loose shirt the boy was wearing, and to just savor it, slowly listening to the sigh of pleasure the younger boy will surely exhale.

Every fiber of his being wanted that boy he barely knew. He wanted to hug him, to cuddle next to him every night, and hear him whisper his name fondly. He wanted to mark him as his own, listen to his moans when he kissed him, and watch him tremble under his touch. It was as if he had just discovered a part of his soul that he never knew he had lacked, but which he would now be unable to continue living without.

Kidd for once in his life wanted to be selfish. He wanted to forget his clan and just keep that wonderful creature that the lord had given him.

But he couldn't. Kidd almost wanted to cry in desperation. He couldn't. The boy would not want him if he knew the truth about who Kidd was. The clan couldn't afford to be destroyed again under the hands of humans. He couldn't have his partner.

Turning away from that cozy and inviting image in his room, Kidd forced himself to leave the room. The bed was his, but to force the boy to get out from it, to not leave his sweet scent impregnated on the sheets, and to not sleep protected in the hearth of his territory, was something that Kidd just was not able to do.

Stepping out of the room, Kidd froze when the sound of moving blankets filled the room and his body helplessly turned to face the beautiful cause. The boy on the bed had shifted to look at him tiredly with dark circles marking his precious silver eyes.

"I'm sorry" the boy said with a soft voice clearly sleepy. One that made Kidd want to hug him and let him fall asleep in his arms "I should have asked about the bed, but I was tired and couldn't find another place to sleep"

Kidd just stared at him frozen in place and barely controlling his body when the boy rubbed his eyes, trying to wake up and pay attention to him. Why did he have to look so helpless? So sad and done? Why is every fiber of Kidd's being screaming at him to embrace the boy and give him back a smile?

"There's no other bed" Kidd finally said with a hard, tense voice. Too fucking tense.

The boy seemed surprised by his answer and he instantly looked at the bed with regret in his eyes, as if he had just realized that he had taken Kidd's bedroom. Kidd had expected an apology, he had expected the boy to get up, leave, and return his bed to the redhead. The redhead even had already an answer to make the boy stay and sleep in his bed. Because the boy would sleep there, it was the only whim that Kidd could afford, and by God's sake, he was going to get it.

But as always, the dark haired boy surprised him again.

"Then come here" the boy said shrugging and pointing to the side of the huge bed that was free "We can share it"

Kidd simply stared at him blankly. Did the boy really want to sleep with him as if it was the most normal thing in the world? Did he even know what he was offering Kidd?

Although now that he thought about it, the boy was from another world, that icy wilderness beyond the forest. The dark-haired boy might have another culture, he would have different customs for sure, perhaps there, it was common for friends or comrades to sleep together in a bed. Maybe the boy had already shared beds with other men before and therefore didn't give it much concern.

Kidd's blood suddenly boiled in his veins for no apparent reason, and before he realized what he was doing, the redhead was walking to the bed and lifting the blankets to join the dark-haired boy between the cushions. Without being aware of what he was doing until it was too late, Kidd felt his arms rise between the sheets to find the other's warm tanned body, embraced it and drew it against his chest in a hug too possessive for the redhead's liking.

The boy's soft brown hair brushed against Kidd's nose, and his body, covered by the thin shirt and the few bandages he was still wearing, molded perfectly against Kidd's bare chest. His scent made Kidd almost moan as it curled around him so strongly now, the boy's warm body rubbed pleasantly against Kidd's one and everything was just so perfect Kidd almost started hyperventilating from happiness. Kidd sighed out of pleasure and the animal inside him almost began to purr under his skin from that innocent hug.

However, Kidd felt the boy tense in his arms, he felt him hold his breath, uncomfortable with the situation, but Kidd plunged his nose in his soft hair again and smelt the delicious aroma of smoke and spices, and the idea of letting him go just disappeared from his mind. Kidd wanted to sneak a hand under the shirt the boy was wearing and feel his hot skin under his fingers, he wanted to lower his head and walk his lips over that delicate neck and over the shoulder that the baggy-shirt exposed.

But with that he would cross the line.

Pressing the boy against his body Kidd again, he fought to contain the blood roaring in his veins, arousing him with every breath he took that was filled with the boy's scent. He was already sleeping with him in his bed, in his den, he had his arms around that perfect body in a situation that should never have happened. He could not afford to fall any further.

Selfishly taking a deep breath one last time, Kidd remained still, somewhat pretending that nothing was wrong and that he had fallen asleep. After a while the boy relaxed in his arms and began to sleep peacefully with long and heavy sighs. Kidd then opened his eyes and moved them around so he could admire the boy's face without any problem while Law slept: his long eyelashes, his soft skin, his perfect lips ...

The redhead knew he wasn't going to get any sleep that night, impossible in that situation and with the erection he had had since he had seen Law in the castle. But still he won't miss the incredible opportunity. He would just spend hours admiring the piece of art that was his mate, the one that had been created just for him, and the one that soon would only stay in his memories.

.

.

.

Law went to the library where he knew the redhead was reading. His bare feet made the old wood creak with every step he took, and despite the coldness of the place that seemed to sneak into his bones, Law liked the rustic feeling.

When he arrived at the library Law knew that the older man had detected him, since he had arrived to the house, it didn't matter where he hid in search for a little solitude, Kidd always seemed to know where to find him. Clearly the redhead was spying him, but Law didn't care much about it, as he also didn't trust the man, he was also spying searching for and ally or an enemy, but what infuriated him the most about this whole situation, was that he was being purposely ignored.

As the redhead was doing right now.

Sitting beside the fireplace with an old tome in his hands and a cup of foamy mead on a table next to him, Kidd didn't even looked up from the book he was reading when Law stopped in front of him. The redhead, as every day since Law had arrived, was half naked with his chest bare, and his black pants clad in worn out boots. The redhead had crossed one leg over the other supporting the ankle on a knee, and, faking he hadn't realized Law's presence, he continued to read peacefully.

"Kidd" Law called starting to get mad.

The redhead turned another page of the book now clearly ignoring him on purpose. It was clear that they hadn't made a good start and that the redhead hated to stay with him, but Law wouldn't tolerate to be treated in that way, it wasn't his damn fault it all has been Kidd's idea. Law now needed something, and the redhead was going to give it to him either he wanted or not, he wasn't going to stand this behavior any longer.

Without hesitation, Law gave a harsh kick to the sitting redhead, making him instantly lose the balance he got on the leg that was on the floor, and fell forward pathetically. Of course the man regained his balance instantly, but the look of pure anger he sent Law when he straightened back up, made Law smile maliciously.

"Now that I have your attention, I'd like to ask you a favor" he said smiling innocently and crossing his arms in front of his chest.

The redhead quickly opened his mouth to answer him with a grunt or some insult, but then his golden eyes fixed on the shirt the younger boy was wearing. It was one from Kidd's shirts. Law had taken it from the closet because he had no other clothes to wear. After the walk in the woods yesterday, the pants had been too wet and dirty to wear, and his own shirt stank of sweat after the night he had spent with the redhead glued to his body and the fever that had refused to subside.

Although maybe he should have put on something more apart from the shirt, he realized as Law watched the redhead looking down at his bare thin legs, fixing his eyes on them. For longer than necessary. Law hadn't thought about it, the shirt itself had been too big and covered him till half his tight, to wear huge pants that would slide down with every step wasn't going to solve the problem.

"What're ya doing with that shirt?" the redhead then asked with his voice two octaves lower than usual, and with his eyes changing from golden to a more yellowish color.

Law gulped, suddenly feeling his cheeks redden for no reason.

" _This_ is the problem" Law said however with a firm voice while frowning "I have no clothes to wear and yours are too big. I need clothes"

Kidd then got up from the seat snarling and walked away from him a few steps, as if he didn't tolerated Law's presence to be so close. Law angrily clenched his teeth. This situation wasn't his damn fault, he hadn't wanted to live with the idiot, and it had all been _Kidd's_ decision.

"It's not my fault that you're such a wee _little_ thing" the redhead answered as he returned the heavy book to one of the circular shelves.

Law got even more pissed with that comment. He wasn't little, he wasn't weak as the redhead had implied, he was bigger than normal people, it was the redhead brute that came from a clan of giants, the one who was bigger than a damn closet.

"It's not my fault that the size of your small brain is inversely proportional to your body's one" he responded in the same disgusted tone with the first thing that crossed his mind.

In the next instant the redhead was glued to his body and watched Law from above with eyes that promised violence, and made Law's stomach clench with a dark pleasant sensation. Each time the redhead approached it was as if a strange intense tension arose between them both.

"Have you just called me an idiot?" the older asked in a dangerous tone of voice.

"Oh, did you understand that? Well, that's surprising considering your...capacity" Law replied mockingly while applauding sarcastically, feeling slightly nervous on the inside.

Kidd roared in his face before turning Law around and grabbing him tightly by the neck, while immobilizing one arm on his back. Law instantly tried to pull away from the dangerous situation, he tried to fight the aggression, but the redhead was clearly stronger and when he tried to move, the grip on his neck tightened cutting off his air supply.

"Aren't ye forgetting who you are provoking?" the older man whispered against Law's hair in a breathless angry voice "I own the food ye eat or the clothes you're wearing. I can take them away easily and make ye walk around the house starving and _nude_ "

"Oh, I'm sure you will love that, don't you, pervert?" Law arrogantly replied.

Law felt the adrenaline accelerate his heart with the danger of the situation; he felt his mind cleared, focusing on everything the redhead's body made to his. For the first time in weeks he felt the emotions that life evoked. He didn't know why, but since he had seen the redhead, it had been as if his mind had suddenly started to awake from the lethargy where it had fallen after the death of his family.

Law knew the redhead was dangerous, he knew he should hold back, but at the same time he couldn't help provoke and fight him. He was coming back to life thanks to this. He might die in the attempt, but a part of his soul desperately needed to feel something again, he couldn't just stop.

Kidd growled low in his ear again, menacing, exciting, and a shiver of tension ran over Law's body from head to toe. Law felt those strong fingers tense even more around his neck in an almost possessive grip, and the redhead's breath caressed his ear.

Law then waited for the blow or the confrontation, however all Kidd did was to push him away from his body almost in disgust, and leave the room without even a word or a snarl, leaving Law alone in the place completely surrounded by books.

Making Law feel disappointed for no reason.

* * *

I love the hate-love relationship they have. But well, from this last scene Elyon, my dear lovely partner, had drew an amazing comic, catching this boy's love and passion, so this is when you go now see it and cry over it.


	4. The Sky

Well, and here we start with the fun part, le amour, I love this chapter for a lot of reasons (it was a fucking pain to write!) and I also hope you like it. Ely made some awesome art about this part, so when you finish reading it go see it (if you don't want the spoilers).

* * *

Kidd was avoiding the boy.

Not because he was a coward and was worried about what might happen or what the boy could think of him if he knew the truth, he was doing it for the clan. He couldn't fall, he needed to stand strong no matter what happened, and therefore, he needed to keep his distance. And that was the problem. Because he had also promised that he would spy the boy and find out if he was really an enemy or if he could trust him.

Kidd sighed, feeling slightly stressed and unsure of what to do since the boy had appeared. He had thought he could control himself, he had thought he had self-control, but clearly he didn't know himself. The raven haired boy had become his new obsession since day one, and now, sleeping together every night, seeing him walk in front of him with his clothes on and a clearly offended face, was cracking his defenses.

His house had stopped to smell like him, and now the delicious scent of the human was in every corner, from morning to night, his complete mind seemed only to be able to focus on the boy.

Kidd was slowly going crazy.

Sighing Kidd climbed the winding staircase wrapped around the tallest tree in the forest, to the small observatory of the house that rose high above the treetops. He had lost track of the boy a while ago, but surely, with the lateness of the hour, the dark haired human would probably be sleeping. In his bed. With his clothes.

The possessive instinct rose again inside Kidd and he dug his nails into the soft wood of the railway leaving a bunch of half-moon marks. Kidd whined frustrated. He needed to relax before something bad happened. That's why he wanted to go to the observatory, because it was up there where Kidd could see the world at his feet and feel some part of his soul relax. Seeing the lush forest, the pure nature spreading several kilometers around the house in each direction always calmed his mind and helped him think.

Changing the small lamp he was carrying with himself from one hand to another, Kidd opened the door of the small observatory that his father had built for his mother years ago. It was the smallest room of the entire house. There, the wood was darker and was carved with strange scenes in every corner, with a patience and love that no other room in the house had received. The ceiling was lower than in other rooms and from it hung thousands of lamps at different heights that, together with the ones on the walls and the floor, created a magical atmosphere when lit.

The floor was covered with carpets, the fur of different animals, and huge pillows and blankets so guests could lie down or sit comfortably without chairs. There were also thousands of plants in the corners and strange tribal drawings that his mother had loved to paint on the walls. But the most impressive thing of the room was the huge window that completely covered one wall and part of the roof, that showed the immense snowy forest at his feet and the distant mountains of the far south, floating in seas of clouds.

The best view that the redhead had ever seen in his life.

Kidd thought he would find the room cold and dark when he entered, he thought that he would finally have his moment of peace, however, just as he opened the heavy door, the glow of candles blinded him and Kidd whined desperately.

The boy was inside.

Upon entering, the gray eyes of the boy fell on him while Kidd observed the boy with a book in his hands and several blankets covering his body in an attempt to keep him warm. The boy was still wearing his shirt, the one that was too big for him and that kept falling from one shoulder to reveal the boy's tanned skin with the strange tattoos.

Kidd fucking loved that shirt.

"What are you doing here?" the redhead couldn't help but ask rudely. This place was his hidden spot, the place he went to, to meditate and think, but the boy had now invaded it, his smell was everywhere, his touch in every corner, Kidd didn't have any other place to go. He was in a cell trapped with the boy.

Law looked at him with eyes half asleep dodging his gaze, clearly tense, clearly regretting having come here. Kidd knew he was oozing a dark aura, but he couldn't help it, this has been his last resource of sanity.

"I couldn't sleep" Law seriously said as he returned his gaze to the book yawning sleepily.

Kidd instantly read between the lines. The problem wasn't that he couldn't sleep; the problem was that he didn't want to sleep with him, Law had also tried to escape here and avoid him as if Kidd was the worst man he had ever met.

Suddenly the anger seized him, suddenly Kidd wanted to take the boy in his arms and drag him to the bed, even though a second ago he had tried to avoid just that. Thankfully he held back in the last moment and he turned to leave. If the boy didn't want the bed he would take it, for the first time since the boy had arrived three days ago, Kidd would sleep alone in his bed like it he should have done from the stat. He would recover his sanity just for a night.

"Kidd," the boy suddenly called him stopping instantly his advance "I'm sorry for what I said yesterday, I didn't mean it"

When Kidd turned to face the boy again, completely surprised by the words, the boy was frowning and still not looking at him, but he also had this sad and lonely look in his eyes that made Kidd want to run and embrace the younger one desperately.

Growling in frustration, Kidd closed the door behind him with a bang. Now he would be unable to get out of there and leave the boy alone in that state, after those words.

Approaching the boy, Kidd left the lamp in a corner careful not to burn a plant, and laid down on the furs beside Law, face up, looking at the starry sky through the glass. For a moment neither of them said anything, Kidd contemplated the sky, and Law continued to read the book without commenting on the sudden closeness of the redhead. There was a clear tension in the air, but unlike other times, it wasn't a bad or an unpleasant one, quite on the contrary, Kidd felt an incredible peace only by lying there silently, supporting the dark haired boy while the boy read.

After a while, and as Kidd knew it would happen, Law closed the book in his hands and lied down next to Kidd supporting his weight on his elbows. Then the boy turned to him with a curiosity in his gray eyes that Kidd was learning to recognize and that was growing stronger each passing day.

"What are you doing?" Asked the tanned boy.

Kidd closed his eyes and groaned, annoyed at the interruption. He wasn't relaxing as he had wanted, quite the contrary, his fingers tingled wanting to remove the blankets from Law's body, circle around his waist and draw him against his own body. His mind was already designed to plan, it wouldn't cost much, he just had to reach out and the other would be lying next to him in a moment.

"I'm watching the stars" he murmured at the end, as he folded one arm behind his head as a pillow trying to stop the tingling.

"You know astronomy?" Law asked instantly lowering his voice in wonder. "That's...surprising"

"Are you making fun of me?" Kidd growled again, opening one eye to glare at Law.

Law chuckled at his comment and Kidd felt the air get trapped in his lungs to see and hear the lovely sound. It was the most beautiful laugh he had ever heard, and it reassures a part of his soul that he didn't know had been so tense. It was the first time Kidd had heard the boy laugh, in fact the boy didn't laugh or smile much, it was as if he carried a weight on his shoulders too heavy to allow him even a little smile.

Suddenly the boy slumped against the furs and rolled over them until he was flushed against Kidd's side, and laid his head on Kidd's shoulder. Kidd instantly tensed, but his body reacted for him in his shock, and his arm embraced the boy's waist as he had wanted to do from the beginning. How could the boy do that? How could he trust him in that way? So easily?

Kidd recalled the lost and incredibly sad look that the boy had have a moment ago. Perhaps this was the problem. Perhaps he trusted him because he had no one else to trust, because he needed someone to give him support and embrace him, even if that someone clearly didn't even stand him.

Perhaps he had asked Kidd to sleep with him the first night and all the following ones, because there was something that troubled him and he was afraid to face it alone in the darkness of the night, because he needed someone in that moment. Kidd didn't know what it was, but something was clearly tormenting the boy at nights, something Kidd unconsciously started to worry about too.

The redhead hugged Law then even stronger, feeling like the worst man in the world for having been such an asshole with the younger one, when the boy had needed just the opposite.

"Teach me" Law suddenly said smiling and turning slightly in Kidd's grasp to also hug the redhead.

"What?" Kidd asked dumbfounded by his own dirty thoughts with those simple words.

"Astronomy" Law said in that fun tone of voice that Kidd was starting to love "I have always wanted to learn".

Kidd contemplated the sky over them. He had heard the excited tone in Law's words, he had felt his first smile after days of sad lonely looks, and he simply couldn't refuse that little request.

"Well," Kidd began squeezing Law further against his body and raising an arm to the started sky "Can you see that star over there? The one that shines so bright?"

For hours they strangely embraced one another despite the fights and problems that were still standing between them. As if they needed the other but didn't know it yet. Kidd told each and every one of the stories he knew, while Law listened in silence. Kidd explained the physics under the movement of the constellations, he called their names, he spoke of the universe and the thousand gods who occupied the northern mythology. When he finished, the moon was beginning to hide and they were both half asleep and hugging each other, simply refusing to move and enjoying the silence and the warmth of the other's body.

Kidd felt Law falling asleep in his arms and helplessly covered them both with a blanket in a protective gesture he had never seen himself capable of. The redhead felt more relaxed than ever, almost happy, but definitely with no desire to move from that place. Allowing himself one last whim, Kidd turned Law until they were both lying on their sides with Law's head resting on his arm and their bodies perfectly stuck together. Then, Kidd gave a soft kiss to the brown hair, delighting in its softness and that amazing smell he was starting to feel as his own.

"Morrow I'll look for some clothes for you" he whispered to the boy now asleep in his arms.

It was the least he could do for the boy after the asshole he had been. It was all he could give to a mate that he didn't deserve and who would be happier if he just left Kidd behind. _His perfect mate,_ he finally admitted _._

Law only mumbled sleepily as his hands clung to Kidd's body.

.

.

.

Law laid his head against the dark stone wall of the bath and let the hot water relax his tense muscles. Unfortunately the warm flow of the waterfall, the spicy scent of the candles, and the relaxing atmosphere that reigned in that place high among the trees at this time of the morning, did little to calm the fuss and the images that kept crowding his mind. All of them were related to a certain redhead, the stunning body he had, and that he hadn't stopped showing off for a moment since Law had entered the house.

Law had been tempted, in each and every way since coming to the house of the man, to do something that he had never imagined doing: sleeping with a total stranger or even a possible enemy. But the redhead had not given him any other choice. From the start, he had walked half naked in front of Law's eyes, with the powerful muscles of his broad shoulders and his abs bulking with every step the laird took, and with his bright and wet red hair giving him that wild look that made Law's stomach clench into a tight and pleasant knot.

The raven boy had endured it, he had talked and argued with him, he had eaten and slept with him together pretending that nothing was wrong. While that impressive work of art had just sat in front of him ignoring him one moment, and hugging him the next making Law's mind even more confused.

But the worst part had been the sleeping part. They even had slept together in the big bed for days, but Law had just been unable to avoid it. The night he had arrived he had been too tired to find another place to sleep, and he hadn't wanted to steal the bed of the redhead after all the days the man had spent sleeping under the stars, and after the man had offered to look after him.

Even more, the temptation had been too great, and his brain hadn't been awake enough to resist it.

When the man had hugged him possessively that first night and had put his nose in Law's hair, the reaction of his body had been too quick. The redhead's chest had been pressed against his back protectively, the hands resting on his chest and stomach had felt warm and huge through his thin clothing, and the warm breath on his neck had only made his whole skin crawl pleasantly. Law, alone for several minutes, had been completely still and tense, while his cock had grown bigger and bigger way too enthusiastically.

The scene had repeated each night, even the previous night on the observatory, but thank God nothing had happened. After some time Law always realized that the redhead was falling asleep and inevitably his tired body began to relax until he fell asleep in the arms of the redhead.

Every night he had spent with the redhead, the nightmares had also disappeared surprisingly, the calm and peace of the forest had completely surrounded him, making that when Law woke up, his body felt recovered, and his mind relaxed without any dark nightmare haunting it.

But his erection had still remained present and insistent.

This night had been even worse, because during the night the two of them had moved from the uncomfortable position on the floor, and the redhead, totally asleep behind him, had pressed his lips against that delicate part of his neck that caused him goosebumps with every exhale of the man. Even the smarts and warms hands of the older man had slipped under his shirt to touch the bare skin of his pectorals.

Law then had tried to escape from the embarrassing situation, but as he moved slightly, he had realized that the redhead's leg had slipped between his own, and was now just below his hard and inopportune erection, pressing it, oh so perfectly, that Law, for a moment, just laid there, processing the incredible contact.

Just before blushing instantly from head to toe.

Trying not to wake the other, Law again had tried to escape from the tangle of furs and blankets to avoid an uncomfortable and totally humiliating situation. Surely he won't cause any good impression to the redhead if Law woke up with an erection in his arms. Both had made some kind of truce on the observatory, and Law didn't want to ruin it with this.

However when Law had moved, the redhead instead had only growled dangerously, before cutting short Law's attempt of escape by pressing their bodies tighter, and raising his strong leg between Law's ones trying to hold him on place.

A moan of pure pleasure had escaped then from the mouth of the dark haired boy, as his whole body trembled violently, too sensitive for his own taste.

The redhead had then begun to wake up, thanks to the powerful sound, and a scared Law had had a panic attack. Quickly - and without thinking about that this might offend his host - Law had struck a blow to the redhead's stomach begging to God that the man will then release him. The trick had worked perfectly, and as the redhead groaned in pain waking up immediately, Law had gotten out of the tangle and ran to the bathroom on the lower floors to hide his problem.

And there he was now, under the heavy rain of the waterfall, with his face still red from embarrassment and still trying to calm down the heavy erection, that hasn't disappeared, in the most traditional way possible.

He hasn't masturbated since he had overcome his traumatic adolescence. But, not knowing what else to do with the problem between his legs that refused to go thanks to the owner of the house, Law stroked his hard erection, instantly imagining that it was the hand of a certain redhead with his intense gaze.

Still Law himself was surprised with what was happening to him. Nothing like this had ever happened to him before. He had never felt so attracted to someone, that, only with some words or with some caresses, he had had to end up masturbating in a bathroom. He had never thought of someone like he was doing with the redhead. Not even his small young little affairs were comparable to what was going through his mind at the thought of the owner of the place.

Law contained a frustrated gasp as his legs trembled and his erection throbbed in his hand not reacting as he wanted. He had been touching himself for quite a long moment, his fingers caressing the hard member like he loved it, applying pressure under the head and then going slowly down to the base in a tight grip. But it wasn't enough. It didn't matter how much he jerked off, he couldn't reach the damn orgasm. He wasn't even approaching it. He was at it several minutes and simply it was as if his body didn't react to what his hands were doing and what his mind was thinking.

He wanted the redhead. He wanted him to be the one who touched him, the one who would know how to jerk him off the way Law liked it, he wanted to reach the paradise with just the redhead's touch. God, he needed him so much that it just hurt to not have him inside him now, touching, kissing and marking him while Kidd fucked his tight ass so wildly like Law knew he would.

Biting his lip and not knowing what else to do to put an end to his heavy and impossibly hard erection, Law released his member and moved his trembling hand to his ass. He had never done that, but his whole body was aching for not having the redhead inside him, and Law just didn't know what else to do to put an end to his humiliating condition.

Spreading his buttocks slowly, Law raised his hand to the black wall in front of him to gain balance and lowered the other while he lifted his rear up in the air for better access. The raven sighed nervously as he gently brushed his own entrance with trembling fingers, completely in need of more contact.

Slowly and with holding his breath, Law thrust a single finger into his ass carefully, testing the muscles and the pain that it would send him. It was then, when Law had to bite his arm against the wall in front of him to contain a powerful moan. Didn't they say that this hurt like hell? Why was it giving him pleasure rather than pain? Why did he feel like this was what he has always needed?... Why hadn't he tried this before?

Moving the finger inside him slightly and adding a new one while getting used to the feeling of being stretched so intimately, Law opened his legs on the floor, and, suddenly moaning desperately, he focused on finding that place inside him that the books described as the weak spot of every man.

Suddenly his whole body was shivering in waves of pleasure just for the feeling of his fingers moving in his ass. Suddenly his erection was harder than ever, rising between his legs, dripping precum. The pleading moans were echoing through the bathroom although Law was biting his arm until it hurt, and for a moment, the raven boy thought that he would be discovered because of this.

But he couldn't contain himself, Law tasted the beginning of orgasm and so, when his fingers finally brushed his prostate so deep inside him, Law just wanted to scream in pure pleasure. His whole body convulsed under the hot water mist and Law thought that he had finally got his loved and earned climax, and, with his fingers up his ass, pleasuring himself in one of the most degrading forms that a man could do, Law waited for the familiar waves of pleasure.

But it was as if something prevented him for reaching it in the last moment.

Moaning while feeling his fingers still inside him, Law repeated the gesture again and again, stroking his prostate with obsession, simulating the wild thrusts the redhead would fuck him with. His cock hardened even more until it was almost painful, his whole body trembled with pleasure in what would be the beginning of several impressive orgasms, while his knees could barely support him.

But still without coming, still without falling from that high peak of pleasure and sinking into the amazing void. On the contrary, it was as if he was getting more and more aroused, as if he was going higher and higher without being able to trigger the final reaction.

His body was slowly losing control with every new unsatisfactory wave, each one more powerful than the previous one. His nipples hardened alone until every drop of hot water sliding over them made his whole body shake with pleasure. His mouth stopped biting his now red arm, and started setting free, pleading whimpers as his entire body vibrated dangerously. His cock looked as if it was about to explode between his legs of how red and hard it was, while Law kept masturbating with his own fingers with no intention of stopping.

Law cried in despair. _He needed Kidd_. He needed his fingers to be the ones to fill him, he needed the redhead's dick to be the one that sent him flying to paradise. Law unconsciously knew that he would never have his beloved orgasm unless Kidd was the one to provoke it. But he just couldn't stop. Each passing second he was getting more and more aroused, his body impossibly sensitive and the situation just got worse and worse.

 _But he couldn't stop_. He needed Kidd but that was simply impossible.

For sure the mighty warrior would send him to hell and expel him from his land if he ever saw Law in that state: jerking himself off, as desperate as a whore, in his bathroom, moaning his name.

Law, feeling impotent, whined helplessly. He couldn't go out in that state and plead for the redhead to fuck him. It would be the ultimate humiliation, and his death sentence. He didn't want Kidd to saw him in that horny pleading condition, because the redhead would surely look at him in disgust.

But Law didn't know what else to do, he just couldn't anymore, he couldn't stay like this forever, in a never-ending orgasm that would only grow more and more powerful.

Forcing himself to stop and take the fingers out of his now prepared ass, Law placed both hands and forehead on the cold stone wall in front of him. For a second, he attempted to relax and calm down, but at the next second his whole body revolted against the lack of stimulation and, releasing a desperate moan, Law quickly dropped his hand to his erection as his body convulsed forcing him to move again.

His hand rubbed the hard member that was just about to explode. It hurt. The slightest touch was too much stimulation for his mind. He turned and arched his back against the wall in front of him, his head fell back as he released a muffled groan of despair and felt the warm water fall on his face.

He was going to die like this. Law was sure.

It was then, when he was about to faint right there because of an orgasm that wouldn't come, that suddenly the dark wooden door of the bathroom opened and Kidd entered the small room with a stack of fluffy towels in his arms. The redhead wore a frowning expression, still angry after the painful awakening, and he was still wearing the stupid and tight pants that framed his thighs to perfection.

"Law, I'm sorry I didn't knock" the redhead started without looking at him yet "but I bring some clothes for..."

Law could see the exact moment when the redhead looked up and his eyes recognized what he was doing. Law almost wanted to mourn in frustration as he watched the redhead with the purest panic in his eyes, his face red and his fast breathing going still terribly fast. Now it would be when the man would scream at him for being a degenerate, now would be when he would be kicked out of his house or killed painfully.

Kidd looked at him from head to toe with wide eyes and Law waited for the screams, waited for rejection in his eyes or the slightest feeling of disgust as he kept perfectly still, with his hand still on his hardened erection, and with the steam and the encircling sound of water in the silence of the forest.

But, at the end, Kidd did something that Law definitely had not expected.

Without taking his eyes off Law's completely naked and clearly excited figure, Kidd fell onto his knees on the carpet covering the cold floor stone, and let out a sound that resembled that of an animal begging for mercy.

Law opened his eyes in surprise without understanding what was happening, but then, the redhead, looked at him with totally desperate and hungry eyes, dropped his hands to his tight pants and palmed the huge bulge in his crotch.

Law mouth opened incredulously.

His eyes instantly focused on the redhead's impressive cock that was starting to wake up under his care. It was just huge. Law doubted he could even surround it with his fingers or swallow half that cock in a blowjob. Practically hypnotized Law just stared at that heavy and perfect cock that was starting to tent on the increasingly tight pants, pulsing and growing even bigger.

The younger, panting aroused, forced himself to look away from that temptation. How would it feel to ride that cock? What would it be to prove it, to feel it filling him completely until he couldn't take anything else? To caress it hour after hour, day after day, until that mighty man fell begging between his hands and Law ended up totally full of him?

Law moaned again at his own thoughts, feeling his own dick send him shocks of pain again. Helplessly, his hands moved over his erection one more time, and Law had to close his eyes to stand the waves of pleasure that came over him, this time even greater with the feel of the redhead's eyes fixed on his person watching every move he made.

Kidd, on the floor, let out one of those pleading moans again answering Law's ones, and his eyes shone changing from that gilded almost yellow to that dark golden again and again. As if fighting an internal battle alone with himself but still staring at Law, frozen.

Law gasped against the wall feeling about to faint right there. His mind couldn't think anymore, the pleasure was too much, the redhead was still staring at him without doing anything and Law just wanted this to be over for once.

Unavoidably the words came out of his mouth in a whimper.

"...P-please" he muttered almost in the brink of tears, feeling his body about to break under the waves of pleasure. He couldn't stand this anymore, he needed Kidd, he needed the redhead touching, kissing, going inside him, marking him. Taking him and fucking him forever.

Then, as if his prayers had been answered, Law was suddenly pushed against the back wall of the bathroom while strong and huge hands closed around his wrists and pinned them above his head immobilizing him completely.

He didn't even have time to breathe before Kidd kissed him heartily.

As if Kidd had been waiting his whole life only for that little contact, as if this had been all he had always needed. Law felt the redhead's lips pressed against his own - to possessive, demanding and just perfect - and his whole body practically melted from pleasure.

The raven boy gasped for air slowly drowning against red lips.

It was too much, such a great contact that it destroyed his brain, but he just couldn't faint now, he didn't want to miss the incredible opportunity of enjoying the bigger man's mouth. So, desperate, he quickly moved his lips against the other's ones, licking at them, pleadingly asking Kidd to open his mouth and deepen the contact. His body pressed against the redhead wantonly and, although he was already glued to the cold wall at his back and still fully immobilized by the redhead, Law rubbed their bodies together until his tattooed and completely soaked chest slipped perfectly against the redhead's strong one, creating a perfect friction against his impossible sensitive skin and hard nipples.

The redhead growled in response to the movement clearly wanting to have total control over the situation and, while Law whimpered at the mercy of the feeling that ran up and down his body, Kidd finally opened his mouth and licked into the eager and pleading mouth of the younger boy.

Law moaned as an electric current went through his body from head to toe. He moaned impossible overwhelmed between the wall and the redhead who kept biting his lips obsessively, not letting him rest for even a moment. Unable to hold on despite the now painful experience, the dark haired boy began stroking the other's tongue with his own, finally forcing him to deepen the kiss as Law had wanted from the start. For a beautiful moment, they both just enjoyed each other's tongues, dancing next to each other in a kiss that threatened to destroy his overstimulated mind.

It was then that Law, unable to control his body anymore, lifted one of his legs to the waist of the redhead looking for a more intimate contact that he had been longing for hours. His hips moved against the redhead's, hard, with quick moves, pressing both members together through his tight pants and tearing moans of pleasure from them both.

Kidd growled against his mouth again, even louder than before, angered by Law's disobedience. But inevitably and just as aroused as the younger one, the redhead also started moving his hips against Law's. Deliciously squeezing the sensitive and delicate flesh between the boy's legs. Law began to see blue stars dancing before his eyes while he just shamelessly moaned loud and clear against the mouth of the redhead, completely begging for more.

Suddenly, as if he has just realized what he was doing, Kidd broke the passionate kiss and separated slightly from Law's mouth while shaking his head as if he was trying to clear his mind. Kidd roared then low in his chest and, for a long moment, he stood totally tense and quiet while still immobilizing Law's body under his.

Law silently watched him trying to catch his breath but completely desperate for more of that incredible passion and domination. Kidd's eyes – now golden and the next moment yellow - just kept devouring him with every little gasp for air he took. Law felt his lips worn and red from the hard and passionate kiss, the water was running down his body, turning his skin pink and tender, and even his hair was getting into his eyes not allowing him to see everything he wanted.

For a moment both men stared silently at the other. Law kept panting hard as he waited for the redhead to do something else, to touch him, to insult him, or to kiss him again in that amazing way.

But Kidd just stared at him, while his eyes kept on changing color.

Eager for more and not wanting to stop, Law tightened the leg around the redhead's hip, pushing him flush against his body so that his erection could rub back against the rugged pants of the man. The little friction sent his whole body on fire one more time, making Law's back arch even more, and he inevitably threw his head back with another pleading moan.

Fully exposing himself to the other's eyes.

Instantly Kidd's eyes shone wildly again and Law watched his breathing grew heavy. But still the man didn't do anything, but look at him hungrily as he pressed their foreheads together and gasped against his mouth. As if he wanted to stop but was totally unable to do it. Law licked his lips again while his body just trembled under that intense gaze.

"... You dinna know what you're asking me" the redhead seriously said at last, never taking his eyes away from his, but finally lowering a hand from the grip on his wrists to Law's body.

Law sighed relieved when he felt it rest on his ribs -right next to where the injury from a week ago was still healing- and felt Kidd's fingers caressing the skin. Outlining every muscle, every line of his tattoos, and every tender scar with his rough thumb, in slow and delicate movements that only made Law shiver in front of red haired man, whining.

He needed that hand to go further down, he needed it to close around his erection and calm down the unbearable pain as only Kidd could do. With his hard, strong fingers caressing the sensitive head and jerking him off hard and carelessly, slowly dragging him down to the unreachable orgasm. He needed Kidd to touch him in the most intimate way possible, moaning his name as he entered him with that perfect...

Law screamed unable to stand it anymore, trying to get free from the redhead's grip to move forward with this game as he needed.

"... P-please" he begged finally, whining while trying unsuccessfully to recapture that perfect mouth from the redhead that seemed to tempt him with every sigh "...touch me please"

Law felt the redhead hold his breath against his lips then. He saw Kidd's eyes widen in surprise before frowning with a look that warmed every part of his body, and, unaware of anything else anymore and not even registering the movement, Law suddenly found himself facing the stone wall with the other man now at his back.

Law inevitably moaned as his hard and sensitive nipples touched the rough stone wall, and as his cock rubbed against the cold wet stone pleasantly. But the redhead, ignoring the chills running through his body, simply pressed against the younger's body while twisting one of Law's arms behind his back to immobilize him again as he seemed to love doing. Law almost fainted right there when he felt at last that huge erection against his ass through the wet and lovely tight trousers.

Resting his head against the wall Law panted heavily, trying to get down from the clouds. He felt Kidd's breath stroll along his neck even without touching it at all, but making Law's body react instantly. As if Kidd was trying to control himself, or as if he was torturing him, Law didn't know the difference between those two things anymore.

Without his mind having the least control over the gesture, the raven haired boy arched against the wall and pressed his ass against Kidd's erection in a clear indirect. Like a cheap whore asking for a cock. Law knew the gesture was humiliating and degrading, but he didn't care anymore, he had begged, and had endured the torture. He needed the other to fuck him for once, to fuck him and use him until the redhead couldn't come anymore and Law was in paradise.

 _Until the redhead couldn't even think of sleeping with someone else but him_.

With that in mind, and sending his embarrassment to hell, Law returned to move his ass against that perfect erection, provocatively shaking it slightly as if the other was taking him with his big cock, creating such a perfect friction over his hole that Law again started moaning pleadingly.

But the gesture seemed to work, since this time Kidd answered to his gesture, thrusting with his hips forward as he dropped one of those desperate cries that made Law tremble from head to toe. As if something inside the redhead was slowly falling apart.

Law then felt with anticipation as Kidd's hand, still on his ribs, lowered slowly, trailing down his body until it reached his buttocks. And then he groaned loudly when Kidd, without any warning, slapped his ass hard, making his whole body tremble from head to toe in another frustrating near-orgasm. How could he be so excited about this? How could his body respond to such a degrading gesture?

Law whimpered against the wall while the mixture of pain and pleasure destroyed his mind, and while Kidd stroked the now red skin with devotion, outlining his rear, and forcing Law to keep moving in that degrading way, if he didn't want another hard spank.

Law obeyed without protesting, moaning slightly, and he keep moving against the hard erection of the other, waiting for his reward. However, when the time finally came and the redhead massaged again the flushed skin between his fingers, separating finally his buttocks with a clear intention, Law had a little time to mentally prepare for it.

The raven boy nearly came right then as he felt the other's thumb finally probing his dilated entrance and Kidd moaned sadly at what he found. The redhead almost sounded disappointed for not being able to prepare him himself. Still Kidd didn't say anything and, taking him by surprise, the man finally introduced two fingers inside him, and closed his mouth around his neck causing Law to clench his ass around those digits inside him.

Law's body then broke under the redhead's attention, while his mouth couldn't stop screaming and whining for more. Law rode orgasm after orgasm with each movement from the redhead inside him still unable to cum. All his reasoning disappeared completely, and he only answered to the attention from the older man, as his body was asking for it like an animal in heat, completely desperate to feel his partner within himself.

He had been waiting for it, Law had almost died of frustration for not having Kidd inside him just two seconds ago, but now, with only two fingers probing his ass slowly, and with the redhead growling like an animal against his neck, Law realized one small detail.

He was not going to stand so much pleasure.

Law felt his erection about to explode as he barely rode two single fingers desperately. Feeling them go in and out his ass now hard and fast, attacking his prostate from the beginning with enthusiasm and expertise, reducing him to a mass of pleas and moans against the wall, while tears of frustration run down his cheeks from not being able to feel the older buried inside him yet.

Law was unable to control his voice or any part of his body anymore, and he just whimpered and screamed in spasms while the other fucked him in that way, while his body responded to it all almost instinctively. The waterfall water was falling into his face, his hair was stuck to his forehead making it difficult to see and Law could hardly breathe.

"If I fuck you, you would be mine" the redhead suddenly said with that husky voice against his ear as Law writhed in his grasp trying introduce those strong fingers inside him even deeper "I won't sleep with anyone but you, and you won't open your legs for other than myself" he continued as he kept thrusting his fingers inside him reducing his brain to nothing. " _Only mine_ "

Law heard the possessive and dangerous tone in his voice. He heard the blood and suffering that awaited him if he ever decided to cheat on him. A part of his mind went on alert, but the pleasure simply stopped his complains quickly.

In truth he didn't care what happened to him as long as the other didn't stop with this amazing fucking. Law had always adored the total freedom his family and status had given him, he had loved doing what he had wanted when he wanted, but to be tied to this man, doing this with the redhead every night, was just too tempting.

Besides, a small part of his mind that was still barely alive, thought that he would not only have that impressive man that made him burn with just a touch or a kiss, if he bonded with the man, he would also tie himself to the clan as was the tradition of the north. Law would belong to a clan again. He would have a family again, people to worry about, he would be necessary, he would have a reason to live.

To tie to this man meant to accept life again. It meant a second chance. Law trembled with his mind and body collapsing with so many emotions and feelings.

"...Yours..." Law muttered between low moans, savoring the simple word and what it meant.

"Forever" the redhead continued panting against his ear as his fingers finally stopped torturing his wet hole and moved around his body to catch at last his hard dick "D'ye understand what you're asking me for?"

Law rested his head on the wall while he was no longer able to endure so much pleasure in his body and also maintain rational conversation. The redhead's hand was delicate on his cock, almost loving, pleading him to say yes, but still it felt too much for his over stimulated member. It hurt. His heart hurt. Every kiss, each contact was just too much. Every word, every promise was too much.

But it wasn't enough yet.

Law trembled from head to toe, at the edge of a powerful orgasm but still unable to reach it. What was going on? Why was he like that? Did he really wanted to tie himself to something like that again? Did he wanted to risk loving and losing everything again? If he said yes, he would have everything his shattered soul needed. He would have a family and someone to worry about again.

Law knew he could end up loving this man he barely knew, and he knew the man will also love him and treat him like a treasure. Law saw it in the redhead's golden eyes; he had felt it himself the night before when he had fallen asleep easily in Kidd's arms.

Both could be terribly happy if he accepted.

But did he really want that?

"... I understand..."the dark haired boy said at last unable to resist "... Kidd" he whimpered incapable to bear this situation anymore "... f-fuck me please" he begged in a whisper, turning his body all he could so he could look at the redhead with suffering eyes. He needed him in every sense. He needed him inside him. He needed rebuilding his soul.

When Kidd's eyes looked at him plagued by surprise and disbelief, as if he couldn't believe that Law had accepted him, the raven boy knew that he had made the right decision.

Kidd then kissed him again; now even more desperate, making little whimpering noises that made Law want to hug him tightly. However, with sudden and rapid movements, Kidd undid his soaked pants, and, grabbing him by the waist with incredible delicacy and trembling from head to toe, the redhead gave him what he wanted.

Without further delay, the redhead went inside him in a last and necessary contact.

Law just fell into the abyss.

When that huge and perfect cock went inside him, filling him in the best way possible, it was as if the walls of the dam had finally broken. Suddenly a pleasure Law had never felt, crashed over him, suddenly Law was cuming between uncontrolled spasms, his mouth suddenly shouted the name of redhead between cries, and his legs turned gelatin unable to sustain him anymore.

Suddenly the darkness surrounded him releasing him from that world of overstimulation and pleasure.


	5. The Ritual

About this chapter…I'm not going to say anything, just have fun with it, and also if you ask me for more about this thing I will kill you all, you don't fucking have an idea of how hard is to write this XD….also there are Elyon pretty draws for…this part…

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Sitting in the huge bed in the middle of his room, Kidd ran his hands through his hair, sighing defeated. He had tried, he had made a lot of effort to get away from the gray-eyed boy despite the desperate cries of his animal part to make the lad _his_. He had survived the early days, the observatory, the fights, had even endured the nights they had slept together.

But in the end he had fallen and had bitten him, he had marked, he had taken him as his. Now the lad was asleep in his bed, wrapped in blankets and unconscious after what they had just done. Now Law was all his, a treasure that no one else could touch, the soft bite marks and hickeys on the boy's neck announced to the entire clan, who owned him and what will happen if someone put a hand on him.

Kidd had mated to a human and had shattered all the plans he had made to protect the clan. When he had taken the lad, he had condemned them all forever.

Kidd had still been unable to stop when he had seen him under the waterfall. That sight had caught him by surprise, and the redhead had only been able to fall on his knees before the boy bathing. The boy had been stripped naked and exposed to his eager eyes, drops had run over his body almost shyly, and not even the steam of the place had dared to hide the view. The boy had been panting, his cheeks red with shame and fear as he had stroked himself in that way that was plain torture for Kidd.

Blood had instantly rushed in his veins, dominant and desperate to join him in the shower, to give the beautiful lad what he clearly needed. The redhead quickly had fallen on the floor as if he had been struck by a lightning, and had found himself with a significant erection between his own legs.

When the lad had pleaded Kidd to touch him, it had almost hurt Kidd not to do it immediately. The next moment he had been with him in the shower, the next he was eating that perfect and tempting mouth, and, on the following one Kidd had him immobilized against the wall, angry because his mate had to resort to those low methods when Kidd had been with him in the same house.

He had been gracing the lad's lips then, he had tasted the other and felt his body trembling beneath his hands so eager for his caress, and Kidd's mind had just stopped working. Instinct had taken possession of his being and he had only wanted to make that precious boy his forever, he had wanted to tear cries of pure pleasure from him, and make him tremble with just his voice and dirty promises. It had been perfect. His hands had fit perfectly to every curve of that caramel body, the boy had responded to each slightest movement and Kidd had sworn he could simply spend eternity feeling him under his body.

But the rational part of his mind, now also desperate and powerless to resist that tanned temptation, had wanted the boy to understand what they were doing. Kidd had wanted him to understand what it meant to do this with him, that he wouldn't let him go, that this was forever.

When Law had nodded nevertheless, Kidd hadn't been able to contain himself anymore, and he had given them what they both wanted. Kidd had just yelled frustrated when the boy had fainted in his arms, whispering his name in tears and convulsions of pleasure.

Kidd, for a moment, had only stood there feeling the lad pressed against his chest, hugging and feeling him in the most intimate way. Kidd didn't want to separate from the other, the connection between the animal inside him and the lad had just been set and to withdraw from that awesome hotness looked like the hardest thing in his life.

But his worry about the boy had been even bigger.

Kidd had carefully closed the cascade of hot water and had taken them both out of the bath, had dried the boy's body with care and made sure he was fine, before putting him on the bed and tuck him carefully under the furs and blankets. Then, not knowing what else to do and still with a significant erection between his legs, Kidd had sat beside him to watch the boy's sleep, and it had been there when the reality had punched him hard.

He had marked a human. Now the boy would have to stay and would eventually discover what Kidd actually was, what his people called monster. The boy then will hate him, he would start yelling, fighting, and the happiness that the redhead now had would go to hell because of his stupidity. Even his clan would fall because their laird will also be too shattered to govern it.

But it was already done, Kidd couldn't take a step back, now his mate laid on his bed with his marks on his neck and his sweet scent mingling with his own strong one. Now there was no going back, now all the redhead could do was to accept the gift he had been given, now he could only try to hide his true nature and enjoy the incredible wonder the lad was.

Raising his face from his hands, Kidd turned and looked at the boy in his bed with a look too emotional for someone who he had just met a few days ago. He watched his slow breathing under the heavy blankets, his eyes closed, hiding those gray jewels that Kid could spend hours studying, and those long eyelashes that caressed his cheeks gently.

Helplessly, the redhead reached up and stroked those black and messy locks that were spreading over his pillow, and that were really as soft as they looked. It was one of the most soft and warm things Kidd had ever touched, its black color contrasting vividly against Kidd's pale skin, making him fall in love with the curious contrast. His fingers traced those perfect locks getting them away from the boy's closed eyes, making even a bigger mess out of it and never tiring of its soft touch.

In the end, knowing he wasn't going to stop himself, Kidd laid on the blankets next to the boy, and watched him sleep again, as his hands seemed to be unable to move away from his body now that he had finally touched him. The previous nights he had spent hours watching him sleep, but now he could spend hours just touching and stroking every feature of that perfect face, the closed eyes, the strong jawline, the earrings, and those full lips that were still red after the desperate and hungry kisses that Kidd had previously given him.

Kidd swallowed and felt his blood boil only by remembering that fleeting moment. As Law had responded just as plaintiff in the kiss, almost dying in order to be able to kiss him, to finally feel Kidd taking him as his own. Kidd gasped then, forcing himself to stop that train of thought. Yet his body didn't seem to pay attention, and with one hand holding the boy's chin, Kidd walked his thumb over the tanned boy's lower lip reverently.

Kidd groaned, needing instantly to kiss him again.

Then, in response to his sudden rush of heat, the boy squirmed under his grip and finally opened those amazing eyes that reflected the vastness of the cloudy sky, and stared at him with a blush appearing on his cheeks.

Kidd knew that this was all going very quickly, the lad didn't even understand what was happening to him, what had happened in the bath, because it had not been an accident. The heat he had felt, so desperate for Kidd to fuck him, hadn't been the lad's fault, but the bond they shared since they had first seen each other. It was part of the mating ritual, technically it served to make things easier between them, although admittedly, it had troubled them more than it had helped. None of them could masturbate or reach climax without the help of the other, the heat would just keep increasing until at the end they begged for the other to finally fuck him.

As Law has done.

Kidd had avoided masturbating during these days, his cold showers had lasted long, but Law had clearly known nothing about that fact and had taken the easy way with the fateful consequences. Though curiously, a part of Kidd purred absolutely pleased to have been able to make the boy have to take those dramatic measured because of him.

Kidd should have talked to the boy from the beginning, he still had to talk to the lad now. He had to tell him more things Law still didn't know, about the strange attraction that they would feel for several days which would prevent them from leaving the house without devouring each other with kisses. Kidd had to tell him about the possessiveness that would arise, the marks, so many things that still remained untold between them.

Like his strange clan and nature.

But the lad just looked at him spellbound, with those gray eyes watching his face and his features in such an intimate and delicate way, as if Kidd was all the boy needed to be happy, and Kidd just run out of breath and forget everything he wanted to say.

Unable to contain himself, and not caring of what this all meant, Kidd again approached the boy and took his tender lips in a soft kiss. Just a quick brush of lips, without tongue, without deepening it; only a small gesture of passion, that lasted a little time as Kidd again trembled at the taste of the other against his mouth, with his scent flooding him, and enveloping in his heat.

The redhead still couldn't believe he could have this perfect fantasy as his mate, and almost feared that Law might fade right there, like a fairy, like a magical and perfect creature of the stories his mother used to tell. So he kissed him with all the care that he could offer, tracing his mouth with his tongue, gently wetting his lips against the boy's, swallowing every breath Law took against his mouth, enjoying something that was going to be denied to him when the lad discovered the truth.

When they parted, the gray eyes of the boy had been taken a lighter shade, silver and almost warm, as if something was beginning to wake up inside him, as if something was slowly coming back to life and fighting against the darkness. Kidd gently stroked his cheek with his fingers as Law again raised his head, asking for another kiss.

Kidd could only grant it, as his body finally covered the boy's one still under blankets, and this time his mouth devoured Law's one in a slightly more insistent kiss, more passionate and with a clear intention. Almost asking permission with his mouth to move to the next step, the one which both clearly needed, but still unable to snatch the important decision from the lad again.

The bath had been an accident, inevitable to happen as Kidd hadn't spoken with the boy about the mating ritual. But this time that won't happen again. This time Kidd wanted the boy to give him the permission to make love to him with a clear mind, because Law really wanted to.

When Law moaned against his mouth, opening at last his lips to his hungry tongue, and giving him the permission; Kidd could almost feel the animal inside him jumping with tears of joy. Law was simply amazing, he gave Kidd everything the redhead wanted, everything he needed despite the bastard Kidd had been with him during the last days. Law was giving him his body, his evident virginity, without expecting anything in return **.**

Separating gently from the kiss and feeling the need to prove Law that he fully deserved his trust, Kidd slid down the bed until he sat at Law's feet, and then, with quiet but clearly needy movements, he started pulling at the blankets covering Law's lying body. Sliding them slowly down his body, revealing a new curve of dark skin with every blanket that fell to his feet, and finally exposing the nakedness of the other to his own golden eyes.

For a long moment Kidd was speechless as he gazed at the completely nude body of his mate in his bed.

Unlike the previous time in the shower where everything had been too fast to fully appreciate him, where the steam of the shower had hidden the amazing vision, now Kidd had the best place to enjoy that caramel body. At the foot of the bed with the covers around him, Kidd only contemplated the lad, not being able to do anything more.

Law's dark skin contrasted perfectly against the white sheets of his bed embroidered with that gold shiny lace. Kidd's gaze caressed the long legs, which ended in those lean hips, where the marks of his fingers were still present from their last passionate time. Kidd continued to travel his eyes up that body, feeling his mouth dry when he saw the muscled chest and dark nipples decorated with those strange tattoos and the scar, the elegant neck where _his mark_ was exposed, and that slightly blushing face that kept looking at him doubtfully.

Law was perfect, there were no other words to describe him, every angle, every expression, every curve, Kidd swore he could stay watching the boy for hours, days, and he would never get tired of it.

Almost reverently, he lowered one hand to one of those long legs, Kidd took it by the ankle caressing it with trembling fingers, and gently lifted it to his mouth. Without taking his eyes a second away from the silver gaze of the other, Kidd began handing out kisses on the inside of the ankle, before going up slowly with long licks and gentle nibbles to the knee.

Law's eyes opened again surprised, Kidd knew that gesture was very intimate, even between lovers, but he didn't care, he needed Law to understand what this all meant to him, how much Law's trust meant to him. Without looking away, Kidd slowly bended over the younger's body as his mouth travelled up distributing warm kisses over Law's legs from the back of his knee and up those soft and exquisite thighs, until his lips brushed his groin.

It was then, when his lips brushed with care that delicate part of his anatomy that Law, panting fast, was unable to stand his intense gaze and looked away, letting out a tortured gasp.

Kidd couldn't help but frown entertained.

"Law, look at me" he asked softly. Kidd needed the boy to stay with him all the time, he needed him to understand what this all meant, what all this intimacy was for. So when the lad continued ignoring him, Kidd repeated his request even softer "Law, look at me, please"

Law refocused his eyes on him with the face of pure suffering, while his eyes quickly traveled from the redhead's mouth to the hard erection the younger one had again laying against his stomach, and back to Kidd's mouth.

This time it was Kidd's mind that wavered when he understood what was going through Law's mind. Helplessly, his dark golden eyes flew to the younger's cock, erect on his tanned strong stomach, asking for his attention. Kidd unconsciously licked his lips just to see it, making Law letting out a cry of desperation that sent a shiver over the redhead's body.

His mouth wanted to taste it. He wanted to know what Law would do if he licked him on such a sensitive and delicate area. Kidd wanted to lead him into madness, to make Law lose himself in his own pleasure, while Kidd teased again and again that lovely member without letting him reach the sublime climax, until Kidd's ears were satisfied with Law's cries and pleas. Causing the boy to orgasm only with his tongue, he wanted to lower his mouth further down, and trace the small entrance between those perfect round buttocks. Kidd wanted to prepare him with his tongue, in the lewdest and most intimate way, making him blush furiously again by doing something so intimate.

Kidd wanted it so fucking much, but that would only rush the situation as had happened in the shower. Kidd wanted to savor Law this time, he wanted to prove something to the boy. That's why he ignored the temptation between Law's legs, kept his ideas for later use, and just kept travelling his tongue up that tanned and shaking body, following the line of a hip.

Kidd licked his abs, feeling the other's body tremble under his tongue while Law's legs parted to accommodate the redhead between them and give him more space. Kidd, unable to leave those breathtaking legs behind, took them in his hands and continued to stroke them from the knee to hip in another small torture. Meanwhile his mouth, travelling up more and more, focused on the perfect belly bottom of the boy, flicking his tongue over it to then continue his journey exploring the other.

When his mouth closed over a hardened nipple and his teeth marked it with a possessive bite, the lad's body trembled beneath him, and Kidd felt his tattooed fingers grab his red hair pulling him even further up and away from that obvious weak spot, and to his neck. To _his mark._

Kidd instantly obeyed, and, as his teeth worked again on the bite on Law's neck, delighting in every little whine he manage to get away from the tanned lips, his hands also rose from Law's legs and up his body to keep playing with Law's wet nipples, rubbing them between his fingers and pinching them mercilessly.

Law arched into his hands helplessly, and Kidd could only lean back and kneel between Law's parted legs to contemplate his artwork. The tense body of the younger lifting out of the bed in search of Kidd's own, his face red, the mark from his teeth on his neck, and his kisses on his dark skin. And again that perfect cock, erect and proud between Law's spread legs, begging for an attention Kidd would not be able to deny for much longer.

When Law fell back on the bed panting now heavily, his eyes locked with the redhead again with a mixture of anger and too much pleasure.

"This is unfair" he said, clearly out of breath "you're still clothed"

Kidd smirked as his hands quickly lowered down to his black wet trousers that were painfully catching his own erection. Apparently both were in the same state. Law needed Kidd as much as Kidd needed Law. Feeling Law's gaze on every gesture his hands made, Kidd slowly unbuttoned his pants, freeing his heavy erection and lowering the fabric to the middle of his thighs.

Kidd almost laughed when he saw Law's eyes dilate while he seemed unable to tear his gaze from Kidd's impressive cock. It felt so good to provoke the younger, to see how much he reacted to his body, to something so nonchalant for Kidd. It made him feel like the most exquisite man on earth, the strongest and the most powerful, just from that small reaction.

Lifting his knees just a moment from the bed, Kidd finished taking off his pants and, not caring much about them, he threw them into one of the chairs in the room, ready now, completely naked, to torture and tease his mate a bit with just his body.

What he didn't expect when he turned to face the other, was for Law to jump at him making him fall on the mattress on his back, and the boy to quickly kneeled between his legs taking his painful erection in his tattooed hands. As if he had been waiting for this, as if he needed to touch Kidd as much as Kidd had wanted to touch and taste him.

Kidd almost screamed with pleasure and arched pathetically against the mattress when Law's long fingers stroked over the length of his cock, causing electric shocks to run over his body with the mere touch of their skin. Making him see stars to feel it in such a sensitive area.

"Wait" he said quickly as he grabbed Law, who suddenly loomed over him with a strange excited gleam in his eyes "Stop, I want to do this slow"

"I do not" Law quickly replied, looking at him confused as his hand kept massaging up and down his erection almost obsessively. Watching him with a calculating look, as his fingers barely managed to close around his member, making Kidd tremble pathetically.

Law had already climaxed once, but for Kidd this was the first time since all this had begun, and clearly, his body was too sensitive for so much stimulation.

Which seemed to entertain Law deeply.

With bright, amused eyes, Law bent between his legs and drew his mouth close to Kidd's huge member without missing any second. Kidd paled. He wasn't going to stand that, it was simply impossible, he was barely keeping it together with Law's hands playing him, if the other took him in his mouth this time he would be the one who would end up unconscious.

"W-wait" Kidd growled, digging his fingers into the younger's shoulders before it was too late "it's not fair, I haven't done this to you, I have contained myself, you can't…"

"It's not my fault you're an idiot" Law replied with an amused smile while sticking his tongue out, and, never taking his eyes off the golden ones, making the first lick from the base to the tip of Kidd's dick. Slowly and provocatively, letting him feel the warmth and wetness, promising him paradise with just a simple lick.

Kidd lost it. For a moment the world seemed to explode in thousand colors around him, the beast within him roared hungry for his mate and his fingers left the other's shoulders to dig into the mattress, cutting the blankets with his nails.

Breathing heavily, Kidd barely caught the possessive growl in his throat and the orgasm that threatened to take him apart. Turning then to look at the boy who was still between his legs, but now perfectly still and staring at him with wide eyes. As Kidd glared at him while the incredible sensation slowly disappeared from his body and Law smirked. Kidd always had a weakness for oral sex and now the dark haired boy seemed to have found it out.

"Wow, that was ... intense" the boy said looking at him clearly pleased with himself "maybe I should tie you to the bed next time"

Kidd groaned again at the thought and pushed the other into the mattress without the slightest consideration and patience, and, resting his hands on both sides Law's head jailing him under his body, Kidd leaned down to devour the addictive mouth of his mate.

Law instantly responded to the kiss smiling, raising his arms to hug his neck and draw Kidd's body against his. Kidd again tried to control him, he tried again to prove his dominance over the situation after the humiliating scene, but quickly he realized that Law wasn't opposing even the slightest resistance to him. As if the boy hadn't shattered his control on purpose, as if Law has just been playing and teasing him.

Kidd melted then over the other with a frustrated growl. He was simply unable to get angry with the boy.

"Ye're going to pay for that" Kidd said when they separated from the kiss and he again lowered his mouth to the lad's neck to distribute warm kisses, trying to fix his broken pride and hide his blushing face.

"Come at me" Law teased him even more, laughing.

Law had laughed Kidd realized then shocked. Happy, against his red hair.

Kidd suddenly wanted to purr as a fat domestic cat just because of that lovely sound. Law was beginning to smile and laugh as Kidd had never seen him do before. The redhead couldn't help thinking that it was all thanks to him, that he was making Law laugh again, that he was giving him some happiness. For a moment Kidd felt proud of himself and just wanted to further tease the other, to make him laugh even more and restore the joy in those empty eyes.

Stroking Law again in that way he had done at the beginning, with carefulness, reverence and affection, Kidd raised Law's legs to support them on his shoulders being careful not to hurt him. Then, kissing his thighs again with love, he carefully separated Law's legs to take his mate to the paradise he deserved.

Kidd's fingers grazed his hole, and this time it was Law's turn to release the desperate moan as his body trembled from head to toe, prey of the raw pleasure. Kidd then explored the boy in that position, thrusting his fingers deep into the younger's body, slowly opening him for his cock. Although it was more a whim than a necessity, since Law was fully prepared after what had happened in the shower. A pity, Kidd would have loved to spend hours licking and touching the other in that area, seeing him squirm under his tongue, torturing him throughout the morning until the other begged him totally desperate to make love to him.

Kidd sighed disappointed, but there would be a time for that. Leaning down carefully trying not to harm Law with their position, Kidd captured the tanned lips in a hungry kiss while his fingers played with Law's entrance faking small thrust with the tips of his fingers that drew beautiful sounds from the boy.

Kidd licked then Law's mouth copying the movement of his fingers with his tongue for several minutes, almost fucking his mouth and making Law squirm under his care. His relentless fingers opened the younger for him even more, but still without touching the younger's secret place or without advancing in the slightest. Law answered to every move, to every lick, and to every thrust with his body shaking, the legs on Kidd's shoulders squeezing him against the tattooed chest, and his hands traveling along the redhead's body trying unsuccessfully to reach Kidd's erection.

Kidd was clearly trying to dominate him, break each train of thought, trying to make Law focus solely on him. A possessive part of the redhead's soul wanted this to be Law's best time, that no other man could satisfy the boy in the same way he was doing, that the boy couldn't be able to forget about this beautiful time together when he left his side.

When he finally broke the kiss with Law and watched his red lips and heard his desperate sobs for more, Kidd felt a strange satisfaction. Returning to burry his face in Law's neck at the mark of his teeth, Kidd licked the area almost desperately, needing to intensify the mark, needing to leave something to indicate that, for a precious moment, the boy had been entirely his.

His fingers kept thrusting in and out of younger's body, not advancing, just torturing and opening him for his huge size, digging his fingers to the knuckles inside him before drawing them back, leaving the boy completely empty. Law's hands entangled in his scarlet hair, a whimper reached his ears, and Kidd felt his world about to end with the sad dying sound.

"No please ... don't tease me again" Law begged shaking from head to toe clearly on the brink of an orgasm that he couldn't reach.

Kidd sighed pitifully, he needed to focus, he couldn't let the instinct control him as was just happening, he needed Law to enjoy this as much as Kidd himself did. He may want to prolong this, but not by making Law suffer.

"No" he whispered against Law's neck "Not this time" he agreed with the lad.

Rising slightly and letting the other breathe, Kidd quickly aligned himself with Law's body and, looking into his eyes all time, he focused on the boy's every expression. With one hand on the back of the raven's head, he stuck their foreheads together intimately, meanwhile his other hand, lowered to his own member to bring it close to Law's waiting hole as he had requested.

Law still had his legs on Kidd's shoulders, one hand was clutching Kidd's arm and the other keep stroking his face, his eyes, his parted lips ... It was the perfect moment.

Moving his hips slightly, Kidd began to enter into the younger with a soft, slow movement. The first expression that crossed Law's face was one of pain, and Kidd could only whine, hating himself instantly for hurting that precious being, but then Law took a deep breath, he forcibly relaxed beneath him, and took Kidd inside him without the slightest problem.

Law was so strong, Kidd thought feeling terribly proud and pushing himself slightly deeper inside Law not being able to control his body. Law was so tight, so hot, his body molded so perfectly to his own one, that Kidd just wanted to drop to his knees and thank any god up there for such a gift.

"You're ... quite big" Law finally said, frowning clearly breathless.

Kidd smiled as he turned to brush their lips together in a silent supportive gesture, giving him his space, giving him his time, and letting him get used to his size. His race was known to be huge, in all aspects, which used to attract women to his bed, but that used to be a big problem in other situations.

"I know you can take me" the redhead replied without hesitation, making Law smile again and a bunch of butterflies start dancing in his own stomach when seeing it.

"Yes" Law replied challenging "I can with you"

Sometime after Kidd was completely buried inside Law and both panted heavily, Kidd was barely able to remain still. He needed the other to get used to him and to give him the necessary permission to continue with the session. As much as his whole being roared inside him to thrust hard into the younger to make him his, Kidd forced himself to remain still. Law needed to give him the permission.

"You okay?" Kidd mumbled at the end with strangled voice as he couldn't help distribute kisses and an occasional lick over the boy's face while his cock felt totally perfect buried deep within the boy.

"Yes" Law sighed also breathless.

"Ar ye sure?" Kidd repeated with a worried voice.

"Yes!"

Kidd, not being able to stop himself for longer, finally moved his hips, slowly withdrawing from the boy's heat, letting the other get used to the feel, letting Law feel exactly what they were doing and with whom he was doing it. However Kidd couldn't wait much longer to thrust his cock back in, hitting with incredible accuracy the weak spot of the other which he had previously refused to touch.

The moan Law let out against his mouth as he threw his head back, was all that Kidd needed to continue their love making.

Leaving him empty again, Kidd repeated the motion, again and again, harder and harder, faster and faster, slightly changing the angle every time to attack the other's prostate with different force, with a different angle, slowly driving his mate crazy. Law quickly started to moan against his mouth as if he had lost control of his body, his eyes trying to focus on Kidd between the movement, but he was clearly losing the battle against the pleasure.

Kidd felt slightly proud of himself, and couldn't help but began driving into the tanned body with even more passion, looking also for his own bliss, forcing Law to nearly faint again with pleasure.

Kissing Law deeply and trying to stifle the moans and whimpers that were driving him crazy, Kidd planted his feet on the bed and pushed himself even deeper into the boy. The headboard began to hit the wall, the bed moved and squeaked with every powerful thrust, and the pillows and sheets fell to the ground, while Kidd again felt the scent of the other wrap around him, now smelling excited, hot and sweet, and making his mind go dizzy.

Tanned legs gripped his neck, their muscles trembling beneath his fingers, Law's eyes narrowed in concentration while trying to hold back the overwhelming tears. His body answered him with each thrust, gripping Kidd's cock inside him like he never wanted to let him go. His black soft hair was mess, his lips were red and wet, and his caramel tanned skin was covered with Kidd's marks and slight traces of sweat.

Kidd could stare at that vision, he could only respond with deep grunts to every thrust and every whimper escaping from those perfect lips.

When Law's body in the next moment was spilling between them, Kidd could only forget his own orgasm and contemplate him fascinated. Seeing his body arching despite the posture, exposing his elegant neck with _Kidd's mark_ to his eyes and their hands hardly clutching the headboard for support.

Kidd contemplated him, Law's lips trembled as a mute sound instantly became a scream with Kidd's name on it, Kidd watched Law's eyes closed almost painfully, finally letting out the tears of pure pleasure. The lad's body tensed under him, reaching an orgasm thanks to him, squeezing Kidd's cock hard inside him until it was almost painful.

Kidd shook and looked away from such perfection, needing to breathe again.

Knowing that he wasn't going to last any longer, Kidd moved his hips again. Law answered him instantly moving them along with Kidd's although he was still riding his own climax, squeezing him, drawing him further to the inevitable. Kidd didn't want to come, not yet, he wanted to last longer, he wanted to continue making love to Law, dragging him to a second orgasm and a third one, but deep down he knew that was impossible. The boy already had two orgasms while he hadn't even reached one.

Falling against the arched body of the younger boy, who kept whining for mercy with each new drive of redhead, Kidd hugged him tightly. Letting his mind get lost in Law's addictive scent, in the heat, in the perfect and smooth texture of his skin.

When the wave took him, Kidd roared sadly that it was over so soon. Clutching the other, he bit his neck again, as his entire body was paralyzed by the pleasure. He had never felt something like this, they hadn't even done half of the things Kidd wanted to do, he barely had time, yet it was as if he had been waiting all his life for this one moment.

Kidd almost felt his mind break as he sank back into his mate. Finally making him his own.

His mind left the world for several minutes, until the next thing he felt was that Law was no longer under him. Stunned, Kidd looked around still too confused to understand the situation, but inevitably panicking. When he spotted Law sitting beside him on the bed looking at him with shining eyes and a totally curious look, Kidd could only sigh with relief.

He must have fallen on the boy in the orgasm and Law, crushed under him, must have pushed him aside to breathe. Kidd ran a hand over his face in frustration, he should have thought about that before - though he had not expected to have an orgasm that melted his brain for several minutes - he had had to predict that with their posture. Had he hurt Law?

Curious, he looked at the lad, but Law only seemed to contemplate him, both fascinated and exhausted, without saying anything, still too stunned by his own orgasm. He looked fine, but Kidd needed to ask.

"Ar ye okay?" he asked observing the bite mark on the other's neck, and his skin riddled with sweat thanks to Kidd's attention.

Kidd then reached out a hand for Law to lie down with him, needing to touch him again. When the minor nodded without hesitation and laid beside him on the ruined bed, sliding his body against Kidd's, the redhead almost purred at the sight. Unavoidably, he laid on his side with the other in his arms, covering him with half of his body, protectively, before plunging his nose in his dark hair, obsessed with the boy's scent.

"It was awesome" Law then commented against his neck, smiling as he hadn't stopped doing recently, and hugging him back.

Kidd also had to smile fully satisfied with those words. Law had liked it. That was enough for Kidd, he had wanted to do a thousand things to the younger during sex, lead him to the abyss, but maybe it was better this way, to go slowly, getting used to each other. The lad didn't have much experience and maybe he couldn't endure what Kidd had in mind.

"Are you sure it's been amazing?" Kidd said, feeling oddly playful "this time you haven't fainted"

Kidd could almost feel the other blush in his arms and couldn't help but laugh at Law's babbling and his frown when Law realized that he was making fun of him.

.

.

.

When Law left the bedroom after hours of pleasurable sex and pleasant conversation, he couldn't help looking for the redhead around the house. He didn't know why but he had a strange urge to be with him all the time, as if his mere presence had become something indispensable in his life after those few days they had been together. Law wanted to be with Kidd, he wanted to mess with him again, wanted to feel his kisses and hear his stories.

So he looked for him.

Still naked in the cold air of the house, and with just a blanket covering his body, Law paced the corridors of the strange house, basking in the beautiful wooden decorations and the vines full of flowers climbing the roofs, in search of Kidd. Law ran to the study, passed the hanging bridge leading to the main tree and where several lit lanterns were hanging, having memorized the house days ago. When he finally found the living room with large colored windows and the redhair sticking out from one of the fluffy armchairs, Law felt his heart accelerate with emotion.

Wordlessly, Law walked into the room where a small fire burned in the huge fireplace, spreading a pleasant smell of burnt wood around the room, and where small portraits of smiling faces, shields and weapons that clearly belonged to the family of redhead decorated the room. The lounge was a warm room in every sense, a place where he could feel a family-warmth in every corner, and where Law could practically see a family getting together around the fire at night to tell stories of ancient battles.

This was a room that Law had loved from the first moment.

Smiling warmly, Law walked around the chair the redhead was sat slowly, and stood on the redhead's right, leaning against the frame of the window to observe the man under the morning light. Kidd however was clearly in his own world, looking through the window without really seeing the world beyond it, lost to his own thoughts. The redhead was sitting on a high chair covered in red velvet and supported on golden metal legs, both the colors of his clan, and he was also holding a transparent glass of whiskey in one hand.

To Law's delight he was also completely naked.

Law contemplated him for a moment, hesitating between getting him out of his contemplation, or continue taking advantage of his trance and nudity and keep watching this strong body of pale skin.

When Law had seen him for the first time in bed, without any clothes covering his body, he was only able to stare at him, speechless. The redhead was amazing, physically speaking, with ripped muscles covering every part of his body in the right places like a work of art, and moving under the velvet milky skin with an elegant and lethal grace that drove Law crazy with every slightest gesture.

Law was starting to adore him, he was starting to love how his own fingers could sink into that red hair that contrasted so well with the pale skin and his own dark one, he loved the heat given off by that strong body that made him feel protected every time Kidd hugged him. He adored his kisses, the way he licked his lips when he looked at Law naked on the bed, his words, everything about the man.

Law didn't even know how he had been able to survive the last sex session without dying through so much pleasure. The older was simply the greatest expert in bed, he knew how to provoke, how to touch to make him cry in despair, god, Kidd almost seemed to know what Law wanted even before Law knew it himself. The redhead was just out of this world, something that was tempting him in all unimaginable ways, and that was causing his downfall slowly.

It was then that Law came up with an idea while watching the beast dozing off in the chair.

The redhead had succeeded in destroying his brain a few hours ago, but Law had also discovered that the redhead had his own weakness, a weakness that Law hadn't been able to exploit, but of which now he would not hesitate to take advantage.

Law felt the need to return the redhead all the pleasure that he had been given, he felt the need to make Kidd lose control too, to bond him to himself as the redhead was doing with Law. He needed everything that was going on between them to mean the same to the older as it was meaning to him. Although he was being selfish, although he knew that eventually, he would have to go looking for revenge and he would surely die, Law wanted the redhead just for himself. He wanted Kidd to remember him, to miss him.

Walking slowly toward the laird of the forest clan, sitting in the chair still too deep in thought to pay him any attention, Law dropped the blanket covering his naked body and knelt on the floor between the redhead's powerful legs. His hands stroked his thighs from the knee to his navel as Kidd had done to him the night before, and then, as their skins hotly collided again, the man's attention instantly fell on him.

Law smiled wickedly and couldn't help to laugh softly as the redhead paled quickly understanding the situation. The fault however was his for not paying attention to him. Still, this was definitely the man's weak point, and Law was going to spend hours taking advantage of it.

"You should rest" the redhead said quickly trying to get him away from his groin that was beginning to wake up to the tempting suggestion in Law's eyes.

"I'm fine" Law said smiling happily as one of his hands finally reached the length of the redhead and started to stroke it gently with long fingers, without looking away from Kidd's golden eyes.

It took him only a few caresses over the huge shaft to have the other completely hard between his hands.

The other was just huge, Law was beginning to doubt if he would be able to swallow him entirely, but still, he was going to have fun finding it out. The redhead had reacted in an almost animalistic way when he had licked him in that sensible area the last time, roaring, breaking the sheets with just his fingers and looking as if Law was killing him with that pleasurable gesture. Law couldn't wait to see him in that state again, to push him even further until Kidd screamed and begged him for mercy as Kidd had forced Law to do the last time.

An intention that Kidd also seemed to read in his gray eyes.

"Law please" Kidd began with a warning tone, almost pleading for forgiveness. But that wouldn't work at all, Law had an idea in mind and he wouldn't stop until he achieved it.

"Let me do it" Law said then. Looking at the other seriously, getting his mouth slightly closer to the now hot and pleading erection in front of his mouth and licking his own lips provocatively "I just want to return the favor" Law wanted to see the other at his mercy, he wanted him to feel so desperate and in need of his touch as Law himself had been moments earlier.

When the redhead slumped back in the chair with a defeated groan and covered his eyes with one arm, Law smiled victoriously. Wasting no time, Law stuck his tongue out and made a slow but steady lick from the base of the redhead's cock to the sensitive tip. Just experimentally, just testing if Kidd would really react like the last time in bed.

The result was instantaneous.

Kidd tensed from head to toe, his free hand holding the vase of liquor tightened around the glass, causing it to break out and spill liquid and crystals on the floor and the carpet where Law was kneeling. The redhead almost seemed to stop breathing while Law watched him bit his lip trying to contain another brutal growl.

Law felt his own body begin to warm up just to see him react so strongly to something so insignificant. Why was the other so sensitive in that area? How would he be when Law took him in his mouth? Would Law be able to make him faint as Law himself had done the first time?

Sighing in response to Kidd's impressive reactions, Law didn't hesitate to find it all out, and, opening his mouth all he could and relaxing his jaw as he had been told this was done, Law took the other's huge cock into his mouth as he had wanted to from the very beginning. His tongue stroked lovingly the reddened skin, and, being careful not to touch the delicate shaft with his hard teeth, he slowly lowered his head until he just couldn't swallow anymore.

Law almost whined when he opened his eyes and realized that he had just managed to get half the member of the other in his mouth, however, when the delicious taste of the redhead flooded his taste buds making him moan loudly, his mind simply stopped working.

Law knew then and there that he was going to get addicted to this.

Kidd convulsed beneath him in the chair, at last unable to contain one of those roars that awoke something dark in Law's stomach, and made his own dick rise proudly between his bare legs. God, the redhead sounded so primal, so animalistic, Law definitely loved this.

Kidd's fingers instantly closed over his scalp, pushing him further down his irresistible dick almost desperately, as if he had lost control of his body just with the feel of Law's mouth taking him so submissively. Law unhesitatingly obeyed the unspoken order and swallowed the other even more, opening his mouth and controlling his gag reflex, he tried to take even more from the man, feeling incredibly full with the older's cock almost choking him. His hands trembled on Kidd's thighs when his tongue tasted him again, and Law cried, completely overwhelmed by the whole act.

Closing his lips finally around the base of that impressive and beautiful cock, Law quickly pulled it out of his mouth, sucking the reddened tip hard. Trying to get more of that amazing flavor that was the essence of the other, as Law played with his tongue with that sensitive vein under the head of Kidd's dick that made the redhead spasm each time Law touched it. Kidd's fingers tightened in his hair almost painfully, but Law didn't care, Kidd simply seemed to have lost all reasoning. Holding the redhead's hips in place, Law swallowed down his cock one more time, this time even more, taking all of it inside him, slowly learning how to control the reflex of his mouth and finally getting the other's shaft completely buried down his throat.

Kidd was whimpering beneath him.

Kidd was completely filling his mouth, his throat, preventing him from breathing properly with his impressive size but also making Law's feet curl in pure pleasure. Shit, this was incredibly arousing. Law felt his own cock start to drip on the carpet just to feel the other groaning under him as if he was being tortured, just to do something so intimate with that amazing man, to turn him into an animal only with his mouth.

Getting the other's dick out of his mouth with a sucking sound, Law licked the man's taste from his lips and repeated the movement. Again and again, faster and faster, feeling the redhead cock rubbing against his tongue and lips again and again, and making himself moan with just the pleasure of feeling it.

Unable to stop himself, Law lowered a hand to his own cock while the other played with the older's balls, dancing them in his palm and fondling him, making him squirm under his touch even more. His mouth kept engulfing the bigger's member wantonly, helped now by the hands of the redhead that kept pushing his head against his dick trying to get Law to swallow him deeper.

Kidd was a mess under him. His body shook in spasms, his hands were clutching his dark hair in despair and he simply seemed unable to sit still under Law's care. The sounds that escaped his mouth, god, Law didn't know how to describe them, they were only causing him chill after chill of dark pleasure. Law accelerated his own hand on his erection, being unable to contain his moans against the big cock.

It was then, confused by the sounds Law was making around his cock, that Kidd opened his yellow eyes and saw what Law was doing, how he jerked himself off between his legs, while his mouth kept taking him deep with passion.

A low growl filled the room.

" _No stop!"_ Kidd roared to the boy, making Law whimper helplessly between his legs when he understood what Kidd meant "no ..only I can ... Law no"

The dark haired boy understood what Kidd meant even though the redhead was unable to make up a sentence between the groans and moans and thrusts against his mouth. Trembling from head to toe and feeling terribly excited by the strange situation, for being able to come only with the other's cock in his mouth, Law raised his hands to the redhead's legs again, looking for a grip that avoided him to lower them back down again to his aching member.

Immobilizing Kidd's legs more strongly this time, Law began to move his head up and down the erection of the other with a frantic pace, swallowing and savoring the bitter taste that was driving him crazy, before returning to get it out of his mouth with a painful suction and gulping it down again so damn hungry for it.

His tongue stroked the sensitive skin, trying to find more of that flavor, trying to find a weakness that made Kidd scream in pleasure. Law felt his eyes started to fill with tears as he was unable to breathe as he wanted, and his jaw started to ache by the huge size of that cock and the strength and passion with which he was taking it. His knees on the floor opened obscenely trying to find some friction for his own hardened member and Law could only moan as he returned to devour Kidd's cock with another perfect lowering of his head.

When Kidd suddenly tensed under him and bent in half over Law, gripping him and preventing him from moving, Law felt his own world breaking around him. Kidd then screamed as he came buried inside Law's throat. Much sooner than Law had expected. But Law was not controlling the situation as he had also wanted. Moaning around the bigger's cock, completely buried in his throat and preventing him from breathing, but arousing like nothing ever had, Law trembled from head to toe and was also came helplessly on the rug on the floor without having touched his dick at all.

When after a while, Kidd let him go and dropped into the chair again, letting him breathe again, Law coughed dazed, looking for air, without fully understanding what just had happened. That had been too fast. It was clear that the redhead had a huge soft spot for this sort of thing, blowjobs and any kind of oral sex, but what Law had not known was that he also seemed to have it.

Resting his head against Kidd's thigh, Law looked at the older, who still seemed unable to get down from the orgasm and was still panting and trembling under him, as he petted Law's hair as if regretting the treatment he had given Law.

Law smiled smug and terribly proud of himself for the almost unconscious redhead on the chair.

The room was a mess, the glass was broken on the floor and the whiskey had spread on the floor staining the carpets and several wooden planks. Even the carpet where Law was kneeling was covered with his own semen. Within a few minutes they had made a total mess of the room, but Law didn't regret anything.

"I think we have to practice this a little more" he said at last against Kidd's skin as he took the blanket that he had thrown on the floor, and turned to look out the window where Kidd had been looking at the beginning.

His jaw ached, and he felt his knees slightly burned from the posture on the carpet, it had also taken him some time to grab the technique this first time. Law was sure that the next time he would be able to make the older came in half the time, it was only a matter of practice.

Kidd just let out a pitiful cry as he again trembled unable to pronounce a coherent sound after the awesome orgasm the boy had given him.

.

.

.

The redhead roared again, and, again, he moved his hips, burying himself deep in the body of the tanned boy furiously. The younger released then another of those lost moans as his body arched under him, responding to every move unconsciously.

Kidd was angry, very fucking angry, and like always it was the boy's fault. Law had been bored this morning and had to tease him for fun, provoking him, making him angry with only a few words, as he tried again to make Kidd fuck him.

Kidd however had forced himself to hold it back, the raven boy was still recovering from his wounds, and although Law seemed quite happy to moan under him every second of the day - clearly the mating ritual's fault - Kidd knew the boy had to rest. The redhead had more endurance than the human, if he wanted he could spend all day in bed indulging his mate as he wanted. But Law was different, _Law needed to rest_.

So he had ignored his provocations when the boy had walked in front of his eyes completely naked, covered in bite marks and practically presenting his ass to Kidd to fuck it, as if waiting for Kidd to do something about it. Kidd had stopped himself and had done the thousand tasks that he had to do, he had gathered wood in the forest for the fire, cleaned the house, cooked, supervised the clan's future plans, everything. For hours he had ignored the boy who was clearly getting angrier by his lack of reaction and using even more imaginative ways to tempt Kidd.

However when Law had sat on his knees, still naked, and had asked him to give him some food with that begging voice, opening his mouth to his fingers in a suggestively way, Kidd hadn't been able to stand the situation anymore.

Pulling Law off himself and into the floor harshly, Kidd had forced the boy to dress and had taken him to the castle for a talk with the rest of the clan. Kidd had hoped that Law would contain his tactics when he was in front of so many people. But the result had been worse. Too late, Kidd had noticed a little problem: his own instinct.

The animal inside Kidd was still too overprotective and possessive after finally meeting his mate. The beast wanted Law only for himself. So when the people of his clan, his friends and family, had begun to welcome Law with happy hugs and loving pats on the back as was usual in the clan, Kidd had just seen red. When Law had smiled back at them, eying Kidd mockingly, as if he knew exactly what was going through his mind, Kidd had felt the jealousy take control of his mind.

Just having spent ten minutes in the castle Kidd had taken Law violently by the arm, and pushed him back through the forest and into their house again. Law had protested at first, normal, after going back and forth in the forest doing just nothing, still Kidd had only needed to snarl in a low and possessive way in his throat, and Law had quickly flushed.

And again the boy had started the provocations and dirty comments.

Once they had arrived home, Kidd, pissed off to the absolute limits, hadn't even let the tanned boy get out of his coat. Pushing him until Law had felt on the ground, Kidd had put him on all fours, had torn his clothes apart, had covered him with his own body and had finally taken what was _his_.

Kidd knew he was overdoing it, that this could harm Law, and that all this was nothing more than his stupid possessiveness taking control, but still his concern was quickly dashed when Law, instead of whining or asking him to stop, just opened his legs to improve the angle and began to moan in response to Kidd's furious thrust.

As if he had just needed that all day.

Both were losing control by that stupid ritual, but also none of them seemed to care. Law was on the floor, two steps away from the entrance of the main cottage, fully dressed except for his pants down to his knees all thanks to Kidd. His face was pressed against the floor beside his hands, clawing at the wood and unable to hold the pleasure that invaded him. His back was arched like a cat raising his exposed rear in the air, offering it to Kidd.

Kidd, meanwhile, on all fours covering Law's body with his own, with his hands on either side of Law's head and his front crashing against the other's red ass, just had to move his hips to bury his cock inside the other with passion. They almost looked like animals, but Kidd couldn't stop ramming the other with all his strength, making the tanned body move, sliding along the ground with each punishing thrust.

The instinct was dominating him helplessly, he needed the other to know that he was his now, that no one else could touch him beside Kidd, he needed to cover him back with his own scent, eradicate other men's odor from his skin, he needed Law to be his and recognize it.

" _Mine_ " he screamed with a powerful thrust that should hurt the boy but that only caused the other to rise his ass even more against his cock and scream again " _you are mine_ "

Law whimpered, shaking again at his words. Kidd knew he had already climaxed twice since they had started doing this, had felt the boy's body tremble with every orgasm, had smelled its essence wetting his pants.

But Kidd couldn't stop.

Since he had begun to make love to the boy, he had tried to be delicate with him, the other was not very experienced in this kind of things and he had not wanted to scare him. Also the younger didn't have his animalistic stamina, he hadn't wanted to hurt him. However this time, it had been as if something finally had broken inside him. The younger had teased him, had made him jealous, and although the redhead had worried about his health saying that today they wouldn't have sex, the boy had insisted.

Well, now he would have what he had so fucking wanted.

Rising from where his hands were braced on either side of Law's head, Kidd knelt behind him and grabbed his waist, sinking his fingers into the tender flesh of his ass, leaving more marks. Having now a new grip and a new angle, Kidd returned to slam his cock inside Law even faster, louder, watching his cock disappear between those reddened buttocks with satisfaction.

Law screamed again, while his body shook in spasms and his knees slipped on the floor, totally unable to sustain him anymore. Kidd kept him in place without problems, using his hands to not let him escape, he felt the boy's third orgasm beginning to take him away, and mercilessly, he speeded up his thrust, making Law writhe on the ground shaking from head to toe.

"Say it" Kidd roared without the slightest pity, punishing him as the younger deserved "Whom d'ye belong?"

Law sobbed on the floor, panting without breath, with his hands clawing at the ground as his legs moved spasmodically, trying to stop so much pleasure. Kidd was pushing him to the limit and he knew it, but this was what Law had wanted, Kidd had offered him to do this slowly and lovingly, but the younger had been too impatient to wait.

" ... I'm ... I-aah ... nnngah …" Law's voice rose from the ground between sobs, clearly unable to speak.

Kidd continued to insist, without stopping even for a second the movement of his hips, riding the other like an animal, without the slightest pity. Law screamed, tensing again from head to toe when the third orgasm took him ahead without being able to contain it. Kidd licked his lips when seeing that body arching pleasure, seeing the tears slipping from Law's eyes at last after so much exercise, his red ears, his torn clothes, the disaster in Law's pants, hearing his muffled breath ... Law was a total mess and it was all thanks to himself.

"... Ah-a moment, please" Law whimpered when his mind returned to the world just to find that Kidd hadn't stopped in least his assault, and just keep fucking him into the ground with the same desire "uhh ... I caah-an't anymore, just need….some ng-moment".

"Then say it!" Kidd roared again, feeling that his whole being needed to hear those words, needed his mate to say them, understood that he belonged to him, that Kidd wouldn't let him go no matter what happened.

Because after the last days, Kidd was beginning to doubt himself, he didn't know if he would do the honorable thing, if he would be good enough to let the boy go. Kidd was afraid of what Law would think of him once he discovered his nature, but he didn't know if he would let the boy escape once the child discovered it and repudiated him. Kidd felt he wasn't going to be able to do that.

"Yours!" Law answered between shouts when Kidd returned to ram his huge cock into his ass punishing his prostate "I'm yours! Please, Kidd...nng...ah...just stop for a fucking moment!"

Kidd felt a strange satisfaction with the forced confession, felt the jealous and possessive part of his soul relaxing, but still, he didn't stop, this was a punishment, the other had to learn. Although Law would be angry the next morning with him for this, Kidd needed him to understand, Law shouldn't provoke him, he had to rest, he had to take care of himself, this was for his own good. Kidd didn't want to be the one who ended up being sorry every time they mated, he couldn't be the only one worrying about his health.

Law had to value and take care of himself.

During his fourth orgasm Law fainted on the floor and Kidd simply let the boy take him with him in the climax feeling completely satisfied.


	6. The Goodbye

And here we start with the drama, the angst, the pretty part (at least for me) still, this story won't be so bloody as IgnisDraco (or maybe it is?) muahaha, suffer finding it out traitors.

* * *

Law woke among the rumpled sheets, finding himself completely alone in the room with low ceilings and wooden windows of patterned glass that was the redhead's room. Even half-asleep and with his muscles aching in the right places from the slow lovemaking of that morning, Law stretched out on the bed with heavy coloured wool blankets and for a moment just stayed there, enjoying the pale light coming through the window and the quiet, cold environment around him.

He couldn't help but smile like an idiot.

He didn't know why but he felt like a teenager in love with the redheaded. But the man was truly incredible, Law hadn't just had the best sex of his life during those days, but he also felt like a king when the redhead was around. The redhead touched and kissed him with such devotion that Law had wanted to cry in happiness, his love and care were evident, and thanks to him Law had considered himself the most wonderful person in the world just by being by his side.

And after days and days of self-punishment and suffering, it had been a lifesaver.

Lately Law felt a thousand times better with the mere presence of the man beside him, it was as if the redhead managed to fill, to overflow, the hole that the loss of his family had left in his soul. With a few caresses and kisses, the redhead had managed to cure him in a way that Law had never thought possible after all what had happened.

Law still wanted revenge and to kill the enemies who had destroyed his family. But now it wouldn't be a suicide attack as he had thought doing, now he would plan the attack, knowing that if he died, at least there would be someone who would miss him. Law now had someone who will mourn his death if only for a moment, and curiously, the mere thought of it, warmed a part of his soul and made him smile sadly.

Shoving the blankets off his naked body, Law sat on the bed and examined the bite marks and hickeys on his inner thighs and chest. That morning the redhead had devoured him thoroughly, and had not left the smallest part of his skin without tasting. Kidd had turned possessive and demanding that morning again, almost sorry for what he had done after they had returned from the castle, and he hadn't stopped making love to him until Law had cried his name again.

Law shook with pleasure in the cold room only by remembering it.

Rising from the bed, he went to the fireplace and added a few logs on the extinct fire, trying to warm himself in his nudity. It had been days since he had decided to put on some clothes in the presence of the redhead, as they didn't last long on his body, and since Kidd clearly preferred to see him completely naked every hour of the day.

Law sighted entertained, turning then to face the window.

From the large window in the room he could contemplate the forest at sunset with the blue light filtering through the branches, and the dense valley fog billowing through the trees. Law looked at the landscape, simply feeling at peace with the world in this place. It was as if the dark forest of black trees where the snow couldn't fall, awoke him from the black nightmare he had been living for a few weeks. Law knew he still had things to do in the world outside those trees, but those problems would have to wait for his mind and body to recover completely.

Thing that, with the redhead at his side, Law believed wouldn't take long.

Suddenly a familiar figure crossed the circle of trees at his feet into the clear, making Law suck in a breath just by seeing him from afar. Kidd was pure masculine power. From his wild red hair to the heavy black boots he wore with power and elegance, showing that this man, was one he shouldn't have as an enemy.

The silver eyes of the tanned boy checked him out from head to toe helplessly, absorbing every detail of that man. From the narrow trousers that hugged his strong and long legs, to the muscles of his arms, tense, while carrying a huge bundle of food.

Law sighed as the man gracefully climbed the ladder on the other side of the clearing, and his pants outlined that perfect ass he had. Unable to take his eyes off that perfect figure Law watched him put the package on the floor and get the red hair from his eyes and the sweat of his forehead with the back of his hand, in a move that shouldn't be allowed for someone like him.

That's when the redhead, as if realizing Law was watching him, looked up and found the dark haired boy watching him totally naked in front of the window of his room. Caught by surprise, Law couldn't help but blush with shame as he watched the redhead smile arrogant, full of that damn satisfaction, as he walked and caressing him from head to toe with his yellow eyes through the transparent glass. With a clear intention. Making Law's skin crawl under the golden gaze as if the other was walking his tongue over every centimeter of exposed skin.

Law immediately moved away from the window and looked around the room for some clothes to cover himself. Suddenly feeling incredibly self-conscious. It was his fault at the end for standing naked behind a transparent glass.

Feeling his pulse beating fast in his ears and with his face still hot, Law finally found a small chest of drawers full of clothes of the redhead, without doubt, he pulled a shirt over his head not finding anything decenter. The last time he had done this days ago, Kidd had been angry, but now Law didn't care, Law was not going to walk naked through the house today, especially after that hungry look of the older. Today, he needed to rest after what had happened this morning and the day before.

Law had learned his lesson.

Once dressed with a simple scarlet plaid over the shirt, and with some black baggy pants that were too big for him, Law sighed resigned, and left the room ready to face the redhead who had disappeared from the entrance of the house.

Truthfully Law didn't know how to act now around the man. At first, the relationship hadn't changed much, they just had more sex and less fights, but in the recent days, it was clear that the relationship was deepening more than any of them recognized.

Law had never been in a relationship, let alone one of this type. He didn't know how to behave, didn't know how to react. These days, Law felt terribly nervous every time he was in the presence of the redhead and he kept blushing like a teenager with every look they exchanged. Law was clearly falling in love, but still, he was afraid to speak and confess to the redhead only for the man to laugh at him.

Law believed that this few weeks had also been an important experience for Kidd, that Kidd had only devoted the caresses full of passion and affection solely to him. But what if he was wrong? What if this was all part of his imagination? Law didn't have much experience in these kind of things, maybe the redhead was like this with everyone, maybe Law was having very high expectations.

But at the end it didn't matter what he thought, Law couldn't stay locked in the room forever, nor could he try to ignore the person that was making him question his own revenge. Unable to delay it more, Law left the room, and all his plans and thoughts vanished instantly when again his eye fell on this strange corridor which was a perfect circle covered from floor to the high ceiling with books.

Law hadn't had time to study them yet, but now, after just waking up, fully rested and trying to flee from the redhead's presence, he couldn't help the damn curiosity getting reborn inside him. Taking a few steps, the dark haired boy began to read the titles, fascinated. "Machines of the Future" by Dr. Vegapunk, "Dissection of the human body" from the famous psychopath Moria, "A thousand cures" from the Kureha witch. There were books that Law had only heard about in stories, books from centuries ago, of every topic imaginable and of all sizes and colors that one might expect.

There were some worn out, other newly bound, but Law felt in love with each and every one of them instantly. Helplessly he took one of the volumes of the famous witch-doctor and, forgetting his own problems and obligations, he began to devour each line of knowledge.

He had always been fascinated by medicine, but as heir of the clan he never had been able to learn everything he wanted. Living in a castle Law had learned to heal wounds or amputate frozen limbs, but he had never known how to operate appendicitis or cataracts. For that issues were the doctors of the clan, he, as heir, had had other duties and obligations.

However, now, with that tome out of legends in his hands, Law totally lost track of time and space, as the book explained him the different circulations that the body possessed.

Until a cough echoed behind him.

Jumping suddenly scared, Law turned quickly to meet Kidd, leaning casually against the doorframe with his arms crossed and an entertained smile on his face.

"Dinner's gonna get cold" the redhead said as he pulled himself away from the door and walked toward him, throwing an intense gaze to his body hidden under Kidd's own clothes.

Law said nothing as the redhead carefully took away the book from his hands, placed a marker on the page Law had been reading, and put the book almost with respect back into the slot where it came from. Law said nothing when the redhead turned after securing the book and circled his waist with both his strong arms. He just sighed and closed his eyes when the redhead pressed their foreheads together closely and whispered, "Good morning" before giving him a soft kiss on the lips.

It was then when Law understood that he didn't have to have any doubts about the intentions of the man, and that he shouldn't worry about how to behave around him. This strange fascination and admiration Law felt for the redhead, Kidd also felt it for him. There was nothing to fear.

Raising his arms around Kidd's neck, Law bowed his head as Kidd's mouth fell to his neck and began licking around the area as if marking his territory again. When the redhead's fingers finally slipped under the red plaid with the colors of Kidd's Clan, Law almost sighed in pleasure.

He could definitely wake up like that every day.

.

.

.

Kidd walked through the trees, feeling the golden leaves crunching under his feet and the branches break in his wake. It was dawn and therefore they had more light than usual, but still, the darkness was prevailing in the place.

Kidd took a deep breath and felt all the nature around him breathe with him. This was his territory, his home, his house, and Kidd simply adored it. There were people in his clan who had wanted to go out of the woods and travel to see the world, but Kidd just knew that he was born and would die in this place without knowing anything different and without needing to.

The protecting mantle of the branches above his head, the black trees and mist walking between them was all he needed in life to be happy. That was the nature, and the forest in its pure, wild wonder, and the animal inside him wanted to never get away from it..

Pausing a moment, Kidd turned to look at the boy that, after some days, had also become an essential part of his life. Since he had seen him for the first time at the castle, Kidd hadn't separated from him for even a moment, since the dark haired boy had allowed him to touch and kiss him Kidd had not wanted to do anything else in his life.

The days passed, night after night and day after day, in a perfect and pleasant routine. Both shared the day together, walking among the trees or reading and talking by the fireplace. Kidd was teaching him his domains, from the black mountain of thousand caves, to the streams riddled with clear water, or the ruins of old octagonal castles hidden in the middle of the forest, which for centuries had belonged to the north witches. Kidd had introduced Law to the nymphs and sirens of the ponds of black water and water lilies, had taught him the herds of gray wolves, and mushroom circles where fairies danced during full moons. The walks they did every afternoon seemed eternal and Kidd swore that he had never felt more alive in his life.

His mate in return had told him stories from distant lands, told him about his dreams and aspirations. Both had watched the starry sky at the observatory several nights, the days when the clouds dissipated to reveal the huge black velvety sky, Law naming the constellation that Kidd had taught him, while Kidd walked his hands over the boy's chest absently.

During day they met and talked about banal and neutral topics, in the evenings they were unable to keep their hands off one another. Kidd had lost count of the times he had reached heaven in the boy's body. It never ceased to surprise him the pleasure that a word or a whisper of the boy's lips could cause him, how fascinating it was to observe the serious and quiet boy melt in his arms with a new orgasm.

Kidd had never known a better life than the one he had now. For the first time in years he felt complete with the dark haired boy beside him.

The boy himself was getting better. The wound in his chest was closing and each time their walks reached further thanks to the recovered resistance of the boy. Still, with his health, Kidd felt a tension increasing in the other. The silence was stretching longer and uncomfortable between them, the boy seemed increasingly desperate to find his touch and he almost seemed to be preparing for the worst.

Kidd didn't say anything about it because he also knew the reason of his tension. He had promised the boy that he could stay with him until he recovered, but nothing more. They had made love, they had shared magical moments, but the redhead sensed that this couldn't last forever.

Not because Kidd didn't want the boy to discover his secret and hate him forever. Kidd wanted him to stay, but no matter how many promises and much appreciation he could give him, he was still terrified that Law would discovered the truth and rise up against him.

But apparently Law also had his own problems. Kidd had been unable to help noticing the boy had not mentioned his family or his home since he had arrived. It was clear that something had happened and that he still had unfinished things to resolve. The boy would leave at some point and Kidd would be too cowardly to hold him back.

The relationship wasn't going to last much longer and they both knew it perfectly. All this was just a beautiful story that they would enjoy until Law healed. The time limit seemed to draw closer each passing minute.

The redhead watched the dark haired boy lift his head and rest his hand on one of the ancient black trees that rose to infinity. The raven had taken one of Kidd's coats and now dressed entirely in black from head to toe with fluffy fur that matched his black hair.

The fact that the boy dressed his clothes had been one of Kidd's greatest satisfactions from the first moment, no matter how much he had wanted to deny it. To see him perform such an intimate gesture, to watch him surrounded by his scent and heat, it was one of the greatest pleasures for Kidd. This time was not different. The leather boots that Robin had given him that first night hugged his legs in an almost provocative way, the black fur coat stroked the skin of his neck almost delicately and Kidd again just wanted to rip his clothes off jealously and cover him with his own body.

The world itself seemed to stop just to watch that perfect creature.

Kidd helplessly clenched his fists wanting to scream. He wanted the boy as he had never wanted nor loved anyone. In just a few days, the redhead had fallen squarely for those sad and metallic eyes, and had been unable to break free from the spell. All he had wanted in life had been a mate for himself, and now that he finally found it, Kidd almost wanted to cry for how lucky he had been for spending some time with the dark haired boy, to have been able to kiss him and touch him.

To ask for an eternity next to him would be too selfish and Kidd just knew it was impossible.

Approaching the boy with his red fur coat, waving with every step he took, Kidd grabbed one of the boy's hands between one of his, returning his attention back to his person. Kidd had never been a jealous person, but it was just to spend a moment in the presence of this boy, and he wanted to roar if he couldn't get his attention.

When the metal eyes fell upon him, Kidd laced his fingers with the boy's and he quickly gave him a gentle kiss on the lips before pulling him and start walking together.

Law said nothing. He never did unless it was a sarcastic or a provocative comment. Kidd loved those comments, but he had to admit that Law was one of the quietest people Kidd had ever known. Although the smaller could express a world with one of those looks, and Kidd was slowly learning to read him like an open book.

So he couldn't help but smile when the younger squeezed his hand back and walked by his side, making their sides brush with every step they took.

The boy could want to leave, might need to do other things, but Kidd knew the boy was so in love with him as Kidd himself was with the boy. Law loved him. He only let Kidd touch him, only smiled back at him. When he had gone yesterday to the clan for more bandages for his wound, - this time making sure he wouldn't turn in another fit of jealousy - Law had ignored everyone but the redhead, he hadn't spoken to anyone but Kidd, and his eyes had practically been glued to him at all times.

Kidd had felt the luckiest man in the world then. Not even Killer's entertained looks or the subtle comments from Wire and Heat and the rest of the men had managed to darken his mood. Even the fact that Law didn't know the secret of the clan hadn't hurt him. Quite the opposite. The relationship between them was so evident, the fact that the head of the clan had found his partner was so obvious, that Kidd couldn't stop smiling proud and arrogant by having Law at his side.

Law himself had ended up poking his ribs with an annoyed look for his stupid good humor.

But Law loved him, and while both returned to travel into the depths of the dark forest, passing under the tunnel of poison ivy hanging from the branches, Kidd knew that this would be enough forever.

.

.

Law returned to caress with devotion that muscled chest, entranced with the soft and hot touch of the redhead's skin under his fingers, and by the tenderness of that perfect chest riddled with scars. Again, he carefully delineated one of those dark nipples of the older, fascinated with his hardness and how a single touch made this powerful man tremble.

Both were back in the redhead's bed for another perfect evening. The blankets barely covered their nakedness while both gave warmth to each other and were unable to separate for the slightest second. Both were lying, Kidd face up hugging him gently by the waist, and Law, on his side beside him keep walking his hands over his body.

They had just had another session of the most incredible sex of his life and Law still felt all bites and hot kisses of the redhead on his skin. Yet it always seemed to not being enough. Law knew that if the redhead turned him again on the bed and kissed him wanting to repeat the session, the heat will still be there, pacified after the last session but always present. Always needing the touch of the other man.

But now they didn't need the sex to satisfy their hunger as had happened during the first days, now, cuddled quietly on the bed, they just enjoyed the company of the other without needing anything else.

This was Law's favorite time of the day. Now there were no waiting tasks, no duties to attend or needs to satisfy. In the darkest hour of the whole night, there were only the two of them. Kidd always told him stories of his clan now, only talking while they caressed and kissed each other full of affection between stories. Now they knew each other, talked and laughed together before falling asleep in one way or another.

However, while Law again stroked the curve of a pectoral up to the strong collarbone, Law knew that this day would not be like the others.

Today his stitches had been removed.

This morning, after returning from the castle without bandages covering his torso, Law had stopped in front of the rugged bathroom mirror and had seen his naked body with that black line piercing his chest, and reality had hit him hard.

Law had promised to stay until he recovered. Not more, not less. He still had enemies to defeat, still had a whole clan to avenge. So, when that morning he had seen that he could move smoothly after two weeks of care, when he had seen the completely healed wound on his side, Law had known it was time to leave.

The dream he had lived, the fantasy that he was still living with the redhead had broken that morning before his eyes. Law had to go to war, he had to face the demons of his family, and he was almost certain that he would not come out alive from the battle.

He won't see Kidd again.

Law had thought to tell Kidd the truth then, to tell him who he was, but he had been afraid. Before he had wanted the help of the redhead in his own battle, the help of that clan lost in the dark forest. Now he feared that this amazing clan died because of him. Law hadn't wanted to tell Kidd the truth, but now he couldn't leave this man without saying anything. Not after all they had been together in those short but wonderful weeks.

So there was Law, lying on top of Kidd and watching as the redhead's chest rose and fell, wondering how he should tell him, while Kidd drew strange patterns on his back, distracted and lost in his own thoughts.

Law's hands began to play with one of the redhead's nipples again with a nervous movement and Kidd shifted under him breathing a sigh of impatience, as if he perfectly knew what was in Law's mind.

"What happens?" Kidd asked as he hugged his waist protectively and deposited a soft kiss on his black hair.

Law melted and tensed simultaneously with the gesture. He could lie to the redhead, he could tell him that absolutely nothing happened and escape in the morning without the man suspecting the slightest. Law even knew the way, after spending days wandering among the trees with Kidd, the forest no longer hid any secret or mystery to him.

But he didn't want to lie anymore. There was no escape.

Lying completely on top of Kidd, making their bodies come fully into contact from chest to feet, Law crossed his arms on Kidd's chest, rested his chin on them, and stared at the redhead.

"I lied" he sentenced at the end, feeling Kidd's body instantly tense beneath him. But also feeling the strong arms of the redhead closed around his waist, imprisoning him possessively against his body.

"What d'ye mean?" the redhead asked him, looking at him seriously and with a dangerous look, as if he feared the worst.

They barely knew one another, Law realized, in such a few weeks they barely had time to discover the other. Law had just betrayed the trust of that magnificent man, and for a moment he dreaded not recovering it again.

"About my name" he finally said, Kidd had to know the truth "my real name is not Water Law, but Trafalgar D. Water Law"

Kidd looked at him confused for a moment without moving at all, while Law watched him savor his name slowly. Sighing with a new wave of heat crashing over his body, Law stroked Kidd's lips, suddenly needing the other to say his real name aloud, needing to hear his name from those beautiful lips.

"... Trafalgar Law" Kidd whispered, making Law's whole body flinch and close his gray eyes, suddenly needing air "like ... the Trafalgar Clan at the north of the forest?"

Law instantly felt the heat disappear and become a vase of ice water pouring down his back at the mention of his clan. The younger barely nodded without looking at Kidd's eyes, but he still felt his golden gaze digging into his body.

"I'm the eldest son of the clan chief" he said trying to put the issue on neutral ground, not wanting to talk about the clan. His intention was to tell the redhead that something bad had happened and that he needed to leave. Kidd didn't have to know all the details, because, after spending these weeks with him and knowing him, the redhead might want to help him.

Law refused to lose him too or cause him the slightest damage, but as always, his plans didn't go as he expected.

"Wasn't there a fire a few weeks ago in the castle? The smoke was visible from here" Kidd said not leaving that topic.

Law instantly felt his world darken again. He heard the screams, felt the heat of the flames, heard the screams of the warriors. He felt his hands covered in blood. His family dead. His life shattered.

"It wasn't a fire" he finally said with his voice tense and fraught with hate and terror "it was a massacre"

Kidd suddenly froze under him, and his arms tightened around his waist. The dark haired boy could almost hear his breath contained in his chest at his words. Law knew that now he had Kidd's complete attention and that the man would listen to his story without interrupting him in the least.

Law had wanted to hide it, had wanted to save the details, carry the weight of the tragedy alone on his shoulders. Especially because he knew that Kidd would help him when he knew what they had done to his family. What they had done to him.

Law had wanted to protect him.

But the burden of being the only one who knew what had happened, of not being able to tell anyone, was killing him. The darkness each day was bigger and Law needed to tear it away from his chest, he needed to share it with someone. He needed to mourn and release the pain of the loss. Since he had escaped he had tried to keep his emotions shut and be strong, but couldn't take it anymore, with the redhead hugging him protectively, each and every one of his barriers crumbling one after another.

Law leaned his forehead against the redhead's chest and, clenching his fists, he let the words out of his mouth.

"We were suddenly attacked at night" he said with his voice breaking helplessly and his body trembling pathetically "they burned the castle, killed all the men, raped the women ... they beheaded my mother, my sister... m-my sister…"

Covering his mouth with one hand to hold back a sob, he turned his head trying to hide the tears spilling from his eyes as he could no longer control them. He couldn't tell that. It was too much. The tragedy was still too recent, the mutilated, lifeless body of his little sister still plaguing his darkest nightmares.

Kidd however didn't hold still in front of his tears, and he turned to invert their positions, leaving Law under him, then, hugging him protectively, he started distributing kisses over his hair and forehead. Law hugged him helplessly, he needed something good in his life that would tear the hell he was living from his mind.

"It's ok, it is fine" Kidd said as he pressed Law's body against his chest, not stopping to stroke him. His voice was totally friendly, but Law could see the anger that ran through every muscle in Kidd's body "Ye donna have to force yourself to tell me this"

But Law should. The redhead had to know what had happened, he needed to understand and remember him and his clan when Law left this world. They should be remembered, and that was Law only consolation as he tell the story. Law had to tell him, Kidd had to know the truth.

"... I am the last member of my clan, the last one... alive in my family" he said biting his lip and trying to hold back the tears that kept falling "and I have to make them pay, I have to avenge my clan, I have ... to leave you" he said finally burying his face in the redhead's neck needing to feel his body and protection one last time.

To leave this man was going to be one of the hardest things in his life. But he had no choice, his mind wouldn't find rest, his nightmares would torment him nonstop until every one of his enemies lay lifeless at his feet. Kidd was the best thing he had ever encountered, but had to let him go, he had a duty to his family.

Raising his head from the redhead's neck and wiping away the tears with the back of his hand, Law looked seriously at Kidd. He needed this man to understand him, that he wasn't leaving because he wanted, that this was the worst decision he would make in his life.

"I have to kill them" he said seriously, letting all the hatred and resentment reflect in his eyes.

The redhead looked at him seriously for a moment and Law could see the rage and fury that was filling his golden eyes perfectly. Law almost trembled with the bloodlust that they were promising. Kidd also wanted to annihilate Law's enemies for the damage they had done to him.

When the redhead nodded in front of him, Law knew what his next words would be. No matter how much he wanted to leave Kidd out of this, how much he wanted to protect him, Law was unable to take Kidd's mind away from its new target. Denying the redhead to kill those who had hurt him, would be like to stand between a predator and its new prey. Something completely ineffective.

So when the redhead muttered a simple "I'll help you" and launched into him to devour his mouth desperately, Law, still crying, knew that he had condemned them both.


	7. The Conflict

And we continue with the drama as it should be, he have had Law's drama and now it's Kidd's turn, we will also pay attention to the big elephant in the room, and will talk about a few other things, hope you are still liking the story XD

* * *

Kidd walked alone among the tall dark trees on the edge of the forest, watching the imposing castle of black stone. His footsteps were muted thanks to the freshly fallen snow, and the cold of the vast desert wasteland covered in ice that was the north, messed with his hair with a nasty frozen breeze.

Kidd however, ignoring the cold, studied the huge structure of stones in front of him.

The walls were tall and strong, with smooth and polished black stone that would be impossible to climb, several guards wandered the beacons, making the task of conquering it even more difficult, and showing that this was a well-protected castle. Kidd watched the dim yellow light of the candles and fireplaces escaping from the tilled windows illuminating the dark night. The castle was beautiful, tall, and imposing, standing proudly in the deserted land, covered with white ice that surrounded the place, and with shiny black and blue banners decorating their battlements.

The snow itself seemed to fall with less force in that idyllic place.

This was a prosperous castle, it looked used in a good way and cared for, with people going in and out through the heavy gates to visit relatives or sell products to the rich lord. It was a lively place, clearly happy despite the environment around it. Kidd, with his men, had already spent several days studying the building and knew that the occupants of the place easily exceeded a hundred between men and women. Everyone laughed and enjoyed the prosperity of the place in the midst of this frozen wasteland.

It would seem like a perfect place. If you didn't know the cruel truth that it hid.

When Kidd looked at the castle he didn't see honest people drinking at the solstice party, happily enjoying the results of their labor and their wive's food, but saw a grimy group of murderers and thieves, delighting in their exploits. The money and the drinks they were drowning into, had been looted from Law's castle, the swords they proudly wore on their belts had been plucked from the icy bodies of much more honest people that had been trained to really use them.

Kidd just felt his blood boil at the sight of that miserable gang of murderers.

It had been nearly a month since Law had told him the truth about his origins, since he had opened to Kid and had told him about the tragedy that had fallen upon his life and his people. It had been a month since Law had been trembling in his arms, crying silently as if ashamed of missing his family. A month ago, Kidd had promised to help him get his revenge, then he had made love to him all night, trying to make him forget, and had given the boy his eternal protection.

It had been a month that for Kidd had been too long.

It had been too long for the traitors to not pay for what they had done to his partner. Too long without dirtying his hands with the blood of those men who had destroyed Law's life, without making them pay, without burying them two meters deep where they belonged. It had been a month with fury and anger boiling inside him, simmering, without being able to release it.

From the beginning the redhead had known what to do. To avenge Law hadn't been an option, but an obligation for him. His partner was injured and the perpetrators were still alive. It was just unforgivable. Having been born in a clan where injustice and revenge were punished instantly without hesitation, where the murder in revenge for this kind of aggravation was more than justified, Kidd had just seen what had happened to Law as an affront to himself and to humanity.

When he had presented his plan to the rest of his men, explaining the brutal tragedy that had happened, these hadn't taken long to agree with Kidd. Robin, who had practically adopted Law since he had arrived at the clan, had needed to be contained by Nami and the other children, to not go and pounce directly at their enemies.

For his clan family came first, and for several days Law had become one of them. Kidd would break the face of anyone who thought differently.

Killer and his men had only nodded to his words with eyes full of hatred, and had heard the plan that Kidd had at hand. The redhead had seen looks filled with rage, and claws inevitably escaping from their fingers at the mention of a wounded member of their clan.

With the help of his men and some tricks from his own race, they had quickly discovered who had been guilty of the killing. The men Kidd had sent to discover it, had returned pale and trembling with rage and helplessness after seeing the ruins of what had been Law's home. The stories had quickly run among his men as the words "slaughter" "cemetery" and "terror" repeated over and over again. The image of what had happened had been completely clear and Kidd had seen an increasingly obvious decision in the eyes of his men.

Especially when they had discovered the motive for the attack.

The two clans who had rallied to defeat Law's clan had been much less respectable and much younger than the tanned boy's one, but were much larger and stronger in numbers of people. The attack hadn't been for revenge or resentment to the old and peaceful clan, it had been because of money. A clan so large and with so little reputation was difficult to maintain in the land of the north, too cold and sterile thanks to the snow covering it, and the food was always scarce for so many people. The old and prosperous Trafalgar clan had been too isolated and away from other territories. It had been too much temptation for hungry looters.

Together, the two clans had traveled the land of the dark haired man, taking everything the smart northern clan had. As cowards, they had attacked at night, and like savages they had killed the little Trafalgar clan in less than one night. Eradicating a race of men who had been the pride of the north for centuries for their intelligence and honor. Not even the king himself could have done anything as everything had been lost and there hadn't been the slightest witness.

Kidd had sworn to annihilate them in the same honorless manner. When he had had to tell Law their discoveries and had seen his eyes darken and become even colder by his words, Kidd had sworn he would make them pay. That time Law hadn't cried nor said anything, but since then, Kidd had seen an icy dark intent in his eyes.

It was clear then that Law wanted to annihilate those who had killed his people, even more eagerly than Kidd. The redhead approved his desire of revenge, revenge had always been normal among his people, if someone was hurting their family it was normal to make them pay, but Kidd didn't know whether to worry or not about the raven.

The boy was smart, clever and strong, but he wasn't like them, Kidd was worried about losing him in the path of vengeance. Yet it was too late to do anything or to try to deny Law something so necessary for the lad.

Kidd observed his surroundings scanning the darkness with his golden eyes, being able to see every shadow moving in the reigning silence, each soldier hidden in the edge of the forest.

They were prepared for battle.

They knew what they had to do, both his men and Killer, who waited elsewhere in the next valley, to attack simultaneously the other castle at midnight. Everyone was wearing black clothes to be confused with the darkness, his boots had been sheathed in black robes to make minimal noise in the snow, and even swords had been painted black to emit the slightest glow. All his men wore the famous kilts of the north which reached to the knees, carrying the scarlet, gold and black colors of their clan. Their faces were painted for war, their hair decorated with feathers from the harpies of the forest, and some had amulets and gold jewelry to attract the favor of the gods in battle.

The plan was to annihilate them like the tyke they were, without honor, without respect, as they had done with Law's clan.

The water they drank from the well of the castle and even the stolen beer, had been mixed for them a few hours earlier with a powerful hallucinogen, impossible to detect except for those of his race. When the first cry of terror pierced the cold night air, it would be too late for these people, Kidd and his men would be inside the castle and no one would have detected them, and then, the killing would be remembered for years. That was all Kidd could give Law after how his clan had died without anyone reminding them, this would return Law's clan to it's rightful place.

Strolling through the trees back to the camp after the last survey, Kidd encountered Wire and Heat, two of his best and most loyal men, who were painting their faces with black ashes from an extinct fire. With a nod he greeted them quickly and stopped beside them for a moment to give them the latest indications before the battle.

Those two were the men who had gone to Law's land a month ago and had seen the tragedy, they were the ones who had caused Kidd's blood to freeze with stories of what they had contemplated. They had been the ones who had tracked down the other two clans. Kidd knew that the two men never lied or exaggerated reality, the odd pair of brothers were well known for their lack of emotions. However, the terror they had spoken from, the air filled with the smell of death and blood, corruption, and ashes, had seemed such an exaggeration that at the end Kidd had needed to go see it too.

The cemetery that had become of the imposing castle would always remain in his memory. The old castle where he had gone when he was a child to play and hide from the humans and, perhaps, unknowingly waiting for the birth of his partner, had been totally extinguished. That night, as he had explained what he had seen to Law, the words hadn't been enough to comfort Law.

"Where's Law?" he asked at the end, refusing to think about that now, at the gates of the battle.

The two men pointed behind them, grinning conspiratorially aa Kidd quickened his pace getting into the forest and trying to ignore his two friends that, along with Killer, hadn't ceased to mess with him since he had met Law.

Since he had started the preparations for the battle, Kid hadn't seen the lad as often as the first weeks that they had spent together. Both were still sleeping in the house of the redhead and both had planned the attacks - Law had been trained for war since childhood and his ideas were simply brilliant to ignore them - but they were so tired when reaching the bed that Kidd fell unconscious into it without getting to touch his partner as he deserved and sometimes needed.

The animal inside him began to worry about the lack of sex, and even more when knowing that his partner would fight in the battle.

The fact that Law was going with them to war was something that had haunted the redhead from the beginning. Not only because the lad could end up wounded - Kidd had assimilated the idea that Law was perfectly capable of defending himself after the dark-haired boy had disarmed him hundred times in one of the workouts sessions they had had for weeks - but because Kidd feared that Law discovered the truth about him.

An event that now, in battle, would be inevitable.

When Kidd's race went into combat, the bloodlust, the frenzy of the assault and the primitive animal part corrupted them. The ability to reason was left behind, his humanity, his personality; the only thing that guided them was the pain of the enemy and the wild howls of their comrades.

When they went into battle it was impossible not to be transformed into the monsters plaguing the nightmares of ordinary people, people like Law. It was in their nature and they couldn't contain themselves. A whole clan of monsters would suddenly surround the dark haired man amid the slaughter and Kidd didn't know how the raven would react. Kidd understood that Law suspected something and knew something was going to happen, the lad wasn't stupid, but anything that Law's imagination might have come up with, it would be completely underrated compared with the harsh reality.

Today, Kidd would lose his other half forever in that stupid war, but he couldn't hold back. Law deserved the revenge, and Kidd needed to stop being a coward and face his destiny no matter how terrible it was.

Finally, reaching a small stream that ran through the woods between the fallen leaves and huge trunks, carrying out the water melted from the snow, Kidd found the lad sitting on a huge rock at the foot of a small waterfall watching the dense forest canopy with an air of concentration.

Kidd felt a mixture of emotions inside him as he approached the boy and watched his incredible gray eyes shining with the moonlight. Unlike the fashion of the clan, the young lad wore tight black pants and Robin's boots under a black jersey with his long sword leaning over one shoulder. His golden skin seemed to shine that night more strongly with that dark clothes, his hair looked even softer, and, in general, Law just looked like a creature straight out of this world. Like the death, arriving again to collect his revenge.

Kidd sighed approaching him, knowing that this could likely be the last time he would be seeing Law calm and without hatred or revulsion in his eyes, unwilling to kill him after discovering what it was.

This was the last time they had left.

Stopping in front of Law at a safe distance, Kidd watched the gray eyes fall on him and wander around his face like a caress, smooth and flawless, clearly filled with love and appreciation. The animal inside him whined sad, and Kidd wanted to answer equally shattered. This was his last night alive. Law will leave him, Kidd would die.

"When we get home, I want to return to the observatory" Law said then, looking at him seriously and giving him the hope that they both would return safely without any problems.

The image Law proposed was just so idyllic, so full of memories and affection, like that last time when they had made love and had been telling a thousand stories under the stars, the image was just so impossible to happen again, that Kidd felt unable to breathe for a moment. His chest hurt too much. It was as if Law has teared off a piece of Kidd's heart, but he still had to pretend that nothing happened.

Knowing that he won't be able to stargazing with the dark haired boy so perfectly in that way, tore at his soul like nothing ever could.

Advancing the last steps that separated them, Kidd fell on his knees in front of the lad, took his face gently in his hands as he forced a hard smile on his face, and touched Law's forehead with his own trembling in pain.

"We will do whatever ye want" he whispered against Law's lips as he watched him seriously and got lost in his silver eyes one last time.

When Law in response took his lips against his, in a desperate and almost worried kiss, Kidd memorized every detail. The aroma of Law wrapping and mingling with his own in that perfect way that made the creature in his chest purr. The taste of those soft lips under his tongue, the needy caress of the boy's sighs, the color of his skin, the shape of his mouth ... Every detail, Kidd memorized it in his mind, refusing to let him escape.

But as always they had to separate.

When Law moved away from his body, Kidd's mouth fell to the younger's neck and unavoidably bit him again with his teeth in a last attempt to possess him forever, to mark and claim him one last time. Marveling at every perfect sound escaping from the mouth of his mate, Kidd licked his arched neck, coating him with his smell in that intimate area, and nibbling at the tender skin under his jaw until the skin turned pink from his attention.

For a moment Kidd just dedicated his time to totally cover the other with his body at that lonely and intimate stream in the forest, taking sighs out of him, and filling himself with the flavor and aroma of the boy. Kidd knew he almost looking like an animal licking Law's neck desperately as he hugged him harder than necessary.

But Law said nothing, he only responded to every touch in the same way, burying his face in Kidd's neck too, and pressing his cheek against his throat in a show of trust and need. Kidd almost roared in delight as his mate bit his neck back in a totally possessive way.

It was then, while they couldn't stop touching one another, kissing and biting each other in an attempt to console themselves in case one of them died during the battle, that the howl of a wolf flooded the valley. Loud and clear, with that sad and lonely tone it always had.

Both tensed and froze instantly when they understood the message.

That was the signal that started the attack, Killer roaring from the adjacent valley to start the attack. Now they would have to attack, now it would all come to an end.

.

.

.

Law stood paralyzed in the middle of the great room that was the hall of the castle of his enemies, not believing what his own eyes were seeing.

The battle had started well, the enemy clan hadn't even seen them coming, and when they had broken into the fortress screaming like wild beast, it had just been too late. The men had fallen without offering the slightest fight to the totally superior strength of Kidd's men, and hadn't even had the ability to raise a sword against the raging enemy. Those men had been drugged, but still, it was clear that they had never received any military training. Kidd's men had been less, but their agility, passion and experience had been clearly superior.

Law even felt proud to have been able to fight alongside those awesome warriors.

They had fallen over the castle like a wave of the apocalypse riders, crushing everything in their way. Law hadn't felt the slightest remorse during the battle, and along with those formidable soldiers, he had decapitated the bodies of anyone who had crossed his way without even a blink. Men, women and elderly had fallen under the steel of his sword without the raven boy feeling anything at all, not even hesitation. They had murdered his family and clan in the same way, the women had been raped or they had killed the children in front of their screaming parents. Kidd and his men however were giving them a clean and quick death that Law didn't think they even deserved. The traitors hadn't had pity, and Law would have none too, but he would not become a monster and wallow in the blood of others.

As his hands kept staining with the blood of the enemy, and while the cries and begging surrounded and chased him at every passage or room decorated with the spoils of his own castle, Law felt his mind going to someplace far away, almost in a trance. It was as if suddenly, the weight was rising from his shoulders, as if the souls of his parents finally rested in paradise, now having been avenged. Each of his nightmares disappeared in a moment knowing that those demons with a human face would not cause the slightest harm to anyone ever again.

Law had lost himself in the bloodbath during the hours that the assault of the place had lasted. Law knew that a part of his soul had died with those people, and he knew that after this whole incident, he would not again be the same. He wasn't going to return being an innocent careless lad ever again.

Still he had tried to keep his feet on the ground at all times, trying not to fall into the darkness and bloodlust that came over him with each new dead man. He tried not to become one of the nightmares he hated. He didn't want to get lost in the darkness that the slaughter brought with it, and he had remained close to Kidd, tying himself to the world and reminding himself who and what he was fighting for. The concern for the safety and welfare of the redhead had kept him sane. Grounded. To see him destroy Law's own enemies, without the slightest pity as Law himself was doing, with bare hands and the face covered with bloodstains, had soothed him in a way he had never thought possible.

His mere presence had seemed to hold off all the evil of this world, and Law had just taken refuge in it.

At least it had been in that way until the incident.

Kidd and Law had arrived together at the main hall of the castle where a small garrison of soldiers had protected the old and decrepit patriarch of the clan of thieves. The small high-ceilinged room with candles and heating fireplaces, had been covered with banners, plush velvet iron chairs, tables from southern oaks and carefully embroidered carpets, probably bought with the money they had stolen from Law's clan. The small and new room had failed to contain the fury of the two attackers as they had entered and seen those stolen goods, and soon, the floor and decorative carpets had been covered with blood and the pathetic corpses of the guards.

They had completely won the battle, this was the last room, and those dead bodies on the floor, the last inhabitants of the castle. Law had wanted to scream out for joy and satisfaction amid the grim room. Finally seeing a dream that, almost a month ago, had seemed as something impossible, come true.

His guard had been low then as he had thought about the offering that he would make to his family now that it was all over, thinking about how wonderful his life with Kidd would be now that it was all over. Law had thought he would die in this suicidal battle, but fate had rewarded him with a second wonderful opportunity.

It was then, when the patriarch, with a sword still through in his chest piercing his skin from side to side, had rushed to attack Kidd in a last mad attack, trying to kill that imposing warrior that had destroyed his best soldiers with his bare hands. Law barely had time to get between the man and the redhead, who had his back to the scene, to give the final blow.

The man had fallen on the ground the next moment with Law's sword now stuck in his skull, but still, the old man had hurt Law at the shoulder with his sword, as he had felt unconscious to the ground. Hurting Law in his last moments, even more than he already had.

The blow had been barely a scratch compared to the wound that had healed at his side. He wouldn't even need stitches or the slightest bandage to prevent an infection. The old patriarch had clearly been too weakened to give him a mortal blow.

But the wound had bled anyway.

When Kidd had turned, alarmed by the noise, and saw the small trickle of blood now dripping from Law's closed fist around the sword handle, Law had witnessed all logical reasoning disappearing from the eyes of the man he adored above anything.

In one moment he has had Kidd at his side, the patriarch of the clan of the forest, with his red hair and golden gaze, the venerable warrior wearing his impressive battle clothes and his face covered in paint and blood for whom Law would always risk his own life. At the next moment a monster with red hair and yellow eyes had fallen down on the floor and had starting shredding the body of the dead man on the carpet.

For a moment Law could only stare at that legendary creature out of the darkest stories of the north, the legendary monster that every man feared, destroying the body of the one who had dared to hurt him. Law's mind had only observed the blood and flesh flying through the air, he had heard the low animalistic noises flood the room, and the blows and punches against fresh meat and weak bones.

Then his mind had made the association: The clan with bears and wolves as heraldics, the secrecy, the obsession Kidd had to possess and mark him as if he was an animal. The fact that they were the only clan who lived in a forest plagued with monsters and evil beings, away from all living things, and still had been able to survive.

Law's mind finally made the correlation and the younger boy could only contemplate Kidd before feeling numbed. The creature in which Kidd had transformed. The one he had been from the beginning.

"Berserker" the word escaped his lips in a whisper of air.

It was as if the world suddenly stopped before his eyes when this incredible creature tensed with a fist in the air, as if frozen by that single word.

Law could see the creature's shoulders stiffen instantly and how that shiny and soft red hair that now covered his body suddenly stood on end like a scared cat about to attack. Law noted the claws covered in blood that were now Kidd's hands suspended in the air, the long fangs in his mouth tightening in a tense face, and the dark yellow eyes fill with something similar to desperation.

When the redhead rose from the ground, with torn clothes thanks to his now impressive size, with his body all covered with blood and red hair swirling over a bare chest, Law couldn't help thinking he looked totally defeated.

As if that one word had sentenced him forever.

.

.

.

Kidd felt his mind panic instantly, and his hands, now with long gnarled claws, begin to tremble. Without doubt, the redhead closed them in a tight fist, digging his nails into the palm of his hand and taking a deep breath trying to calm down.

He had been prepared for this, when he had entered the battle he had known that Law would see him in his other form. He had been prepared.

But still Kidd wanted to scream, wanted to mourn, and to go home to take refuge in his home and bury his face in the sheets of his bed where the smell of his young mate would remain, where everything would seem to be fine again. Because there was no turning back. Now he would lose Law. Now it would be when the raven screamed and would run away frightened by the creature Kidd was. Now he would call him monster. Now he would lose him forever.

He had been trying to avoid just this, throughout the battle he had contained the bloodlust focusing his mind on Law's scent and how the lad moved around him. The creature inside him had reacted as usual at the sight of blood, but seeing his partner fighting at his side, had managed to calm it markedly. For a moment Kidd had thought he would manage to hide it, that he would still keep his future with Law.

Until that idiot had attacked him.

When the smell of Law's blood, that sweet and horrible essence, had appeared in the room, both, man and animal, had lost their mind. _The man had had to pay._ His only goal had been to make him suffer for every little drop of blood shed from his partner, and for the slightest moment of pain that Law had had.

Kidd had not only changed in front of Law as he had feared to do, no, he had even delighted him with a totally macabre spectacle. The beast destroying the body of an old dead man.

If he ever had a chance to tell him so Law could accept it, Kidd now had just sent it to hell with all his strength.

Without being able to even look at Law and see his horrified and disgusted face, Kidd stood up and stepped away of what was left of the corpse and his partner. Kidd then prepared for the inevitable. For the cries, for insults, for the screams. If Law attacked him, trying to kill the monster, the redhead knew that he wouldn't even dare to defend himself. He had believed that he had been prepared to lose Law, to let him go, but the truth was very different. If Law left him, Kidd didn't know what will become of his life. What would be a life without the boy? Without his smiles, without his sarcastic remarks, without hearing him desperate murmur his name in the middle of the night?

Life would be meaningless if Law left him.

The clan would lose its leader. The chaos would break out among his men, and they would perish without anyone guiding them. All his fears would come true, everything he had always fought for, would vanish into nothingness.

He was terrified.

The mere thought of losing his life again, as had happened when his parents had died, horrified him. As a child he had the clan to help him move forward after the tragedy, but now nothing could replace the loss of Law, there was nothing that could fill the hole that would remain in his chest.

Fear flooded him completely and when Law took a step toward him slowly, Kidd could only close his eyes and cringe a bit, waiting for the blow that would destroy his life.

.

.

.

Law opened his eyes surprised to see Kidd cringe at his progress, as if he feared Law would give him a punch or shoot him with a gun. Which was totally absurd. Law had promised weeks ago to not hurt the redhead in expense of his own life, he had sworn to protect and make him happy in return for all the things that the man had done for him, for getting him out of the nightmare. And also, why would he harm a man who had made him the happiest man on earth? Why kill the person who had taken him out of the darkness and had returned him to life?

Was Kidd afraid that Law would reject him? Because he was a creature out of legends? Did Kidd really think that Law wanted him so little? That what had happened meant so little to him? No matter what form Kidd had, Law wouldn't even care if Kidd turned into a sticky brown monstrosity, Law would still want him the same.

Taking another step, Law stood in front of Kidd and tried not to stain his boots with more blood than what already covered his clothes from head to toe. Both were a mess.

"Kidd" Law called him trying to make the redhead look at him again. He needed Kidd to see the conviction in him, the lack of fear.

It was true that Law had been surprised at first when he had seen the imposing creature rise where once had been the redhead, but who would not be surprised seeing his partner become a creature of two meters high with claws and teeth? It was normal to be surprised, but this wasn't a reason for Kidd to not even look him in the eye, and to want to disappear right there.

Raising a hand slowly, needing Kidd to understand that Law was not going to leave, Law stroked Kidd's strong jaw with fingers covered in blood, and retired carefully the other's long strands of red hair that fell across his forehead, covering the bright yellow eyes. Maybe it was a monster of legends, but Law was fascinated by his appearance. The strange fur that covered his whole body and the blood stained clothes, only made him look much stronger and more dangerous than before. Law felt his mouth go dry just by seeing these strong and powerful muscles tensing at his touch.

Carefully Law traced his shoulders, his chest now covered in angry red hair, and the thick lips that hid the powerful fangs which he had seen him bare. Law delineated the pointed ears, his bushy eyebrows, and cleaned the drops of blood that soiled his pale skin.

Kidd however didn't look at him despite his touch.

Sighing worried Law embraced the redhead in the clearest gesture that he could show that he wouldn't abandon him. Kidd however still didn't react. Moreover, when his hands circled around the waist of the redhead, Law felt Kidd's body decrease in size, the thick fur disappeared and Kidd become the man he always was, as if the redhead didn't want Law to touch him in that form.

Law just hugged him stronger, burying his face in his chest.

"Kidd, I will not going to leave or get away from you just because you suddenly have claws and a bit more hair" Law said at last trying to return the redhead to this world and make him understand the situation, trying to make him stop shaking between his arms as if he was about to cry.

Kidd still didn't move at all.

"Why not?" Kidd asked almost inaudibly, with a hoarse and so broken voice that Law felt his heart break into a thousand pieces. It was as if the redhead had already assumed that Law would reject him, as if he wasn't expecting anything else.

Law buried his face in his neck immensely hating himself for causing his partner that kind of emotions. They should have talked more, they should have spoken the truth from the beginning.

"Because I love you" Law sentenced, finally saying what he had refused to say in fear that one of the two died in battle, in fear that the happiness that those words entailed, would disappeared with a cruel death.

But now that it was all over, Law planned to spend his life next to this powerful man, whether he accept it or not. Even if Kidd might get tired of him after a few years, Law would stay by his side and help the man who had saved him in so many ways. Supporting him, caring for him, making him the happiest person in the world.

Kidd's arms finally surrounded him strongly and his mouth approached his ear with his warm hot breath. Law sighed in the embrace, feeling again that everything was just perfect, that the world seemed to disappear around him to leave the two of them alone.

"Are you serious? Are you not going to leave me?" Kidd seemed about to crumble with a single word from him.

Law raised his face to the redhead's neck, and turned his head until he captured Kidd's lips in a short, warm kiss, needing to prove his words, and needing Kidd to believe him. Kidd instantly turned his face completely and kissed him long and passionately, while he again tore the air from Law's lungs desperate to feel him against his mouth. Law responded equally demanding and needy, showing that his words were completely true, that he loved Kidd as he had never loved anyone.

"Why didn't you tell me this?" Law said at last out of air when they separated.

"I thought you'd hate me" the redhead instead replied drawing their foreheads close and closing his eyes enjoying his partner's body and the warmth against his body.

Law smiled just totally happy.

"You're an idiot" he said against Kidd's lips as he rubbed their noses together affectionately.

Kidd groaned in front of him and bit his lower lip hard as he muttered an angry and possessive "Shut up" and again united their mouths in an unbelieving kiss that lasted several minutes.

When Robin, covered with blood, sword in hand and with her mouth flooded with fangs, came into the room to inform them of the end of the battle, and to look for the Liard to give them the next orders, Kidd already had the dark haired boy against the wall and a hand in his pants willing to do something he never thought he would be able to do again.


	8. The End

And here we got the last chapter, have fun with it cos there isn't more sorry, gosh I have been seven months with this, I can't believe I have finally published it all T^T but I'm not going to cry, I promised I will be strong!

* * *

Kidd rolled on the bed and fell on the mattress panting and feeling Law instantly snuggled beside him on the bed. The redhead couldn't help but hug him by the waist, practically purring when feeling the soft, warm skin of the boy pressed against his own pale and still sensitive one.

They had barely managed to climb to the strange group of houses where they lived, without the redheaded taking the boy right there against every tree, against each fucking root of the forest. After the war, after believing that he had lost everything, Kidd had returned to have his mate in his arms and nothing had seemed to be enough to calm the anxiety and desire he has had to have him back under him. Even the dark haired boy himself had been just as desperate and anxious for him, and when they had managed to get up the house Law had torn Kidd's clothes and had jumped into his arms, kissing him thousand times. Kidd had reached paradise when he had felt the tanned long legs encircle his waist again, and he had been able to walk his hands over that perfect ass while leading them both to their room not stopping kissing Law for a second.

The sex had been fast and desperate this time, without the slowness or calm of other times, but a thousand times more intense. Law hadn't stopped moaning his name between thrusts and climaxes, repeating how much he loved him, Kidd hadn't stopped marking his neck and inhaling his delicious scent, still not believing that the boy had finally accepted him.

The redhead was still not understanding what was going on. Lying face up on the bed, with one arm behind his head and the other surrounding Law and pressing him against his chest, the redhead stared at the ceiling lost in thought. Law at his side was still panting against his chest and continued running his hands along his abs as if fascinated by them.

The slow and loving gesture made him want to stretch lazily and let Law caress and rub like a damn cat. The soft and long fingers of the dark haired boy danced delicately on his skin making him want to pounce and devour the younger again until the lad didn't even know his own name.

Until Law understood that now that he had accepted the monster, the monster would never let him leave his side.

Lowering his hand behind his head, Kid intertwined his fingers with the tanned boy's ones, walking over his abs, and gave him a gentle kiss on the hair, containing the stupid desire he had to possess the lad again. He may be a mythological creature, but Law was human. He needed time to recover and catch his breath. Kidd needed to wait a while before pouncing again. Because he will pounce again.

However, now, Kidd also needed time to think. Many things had happened in a very short time and both needed to assimilate the new situation.

Kidd watched the knots in the wood of the ceiling through the canopy of the bed and sighed happily having his partner on his side. The morning light was beginning to illuminate the room, and Kidd just ignored the shining rays as he knew that, for that day, they were going to sleep until late, if they ever managed to stop touching one another for a moment.

They had returned from the battlefield late at night and they had have to heal the wounded and organize their people before returning home, which had taken hours, and after that they had been too busy devouring each other as to try thinking of the time.

It was late, very late, and they were tired after the stress and revelations. Still, Kidd felt more alive and at peace than ever, and he knew that sleep wouldn't come as fast as he expected.

"Then ... you are a clan of Berserks?" Law asked again as he raised one leg over Kidd's ones and lay completely naked over the redhead.

Kidd couldn't help but smile when he lowered one hand to the boy waist again until he caught Law's perfect round ass between his fingers. Law hadn't stopped asking questions since they had arrived and now, half the clan were escaping from the boy fearing the strange questions he asked.

"Aye, everyone, from robin to the children. Although the kids will still need to grow a bit more before they can perform their first transformation" Kidd replied again while kissing the dark soft hair, unable to contain himself.

"So you can't transform when you are born?" Law asked lifting his head and looking at him with that calculating and serious look that Kidd loved so much.

"Nai, the transformation begins at the adolescence, or when there's a stressful event in someone's life" the redhead explained.

"When was your first transformation?"

"At nine" the redhead answered, suddenly tense "...when my parents died"

Law instantly whined in pain and managed to catch Kidd in a big hug, starting to hand out kisses over his face. Kidd buried his head in Law's neck again, refuging in the smell of his mate to mitigate the bad memories. This should be a happy time, he finally had a partner, he couldn't spoil it with old memories.

For a moment they stood still, in that perfect posture for Kidd, where the redhead could feel their naked bodies pressed against each other perfectly. Or at least it was perfect until Law reopened his mouth with another of his questions.

"And you are the alpha?" the boy finally asked while Kidd felt his fingers play tireless with his braided and decorated hair.

Faced with this question, however, Kidd growled annoyed.

"We're not a pack of stinky wolves Law, we donna fight to see who is the strongest and the leader" said the older annoyed, biting Law's collarbone for the offensive comment. The fact that people compared them with those animals in the stories was something that had always driven them mad "We're civilized people; the title's inherited from parents to children like any other clan of the north".

Law frowned at the clear pissed comment and, not being able to help it, again messed with the redhead. He adored to get Kidd angry, to turn him crazy, because the pissed face Kidd had then was priceless. It would also help him forget about the dark memories Law had awakened by accident.

"Then you're not the strongest man of the clan?" he asked curiously with a devilish smile on his lips the redhead couldn't see.

"Of course I am!" Kidd roared against his neck as he again began to distribute licks and nips on the place and pressed Law against his chest possessively between annoyed grunts.

Law sighed not being able to help comparing the redhead with a dog worried about his master leaving him for another dog of better race. Kidd may detest to be compared to a pack of wolves, but definitely the comparison was inevitable.

"Whatever" Law answered as he pulled away slightly from redhead, feeling his neck start to hurt after each bite the redhead had given him today and those still about to happen "So what is Robin? She also seems to have an important position in the clan, is she your family?" he asked, trying to distract him.

"Nai, she is the matriarch of the clan, she takes care of the clan, holds us together and prevent the conflicts" Kidd said "It's an important position because without it, the clan would fall apart internally, she listens and solves any problems before it becomes a serious matter. Often, they're the ones who save the clan with their visions of conflicts that can alter peace"

"Robin is a seer?" Law asked, fascinated with this entire new world full of magic.

Kidd instantly nodded, and then, knowing that Law wouldn't stop asking until he had explained everything, he continued.

"We also have a doctor, Chopper, he was the one who healed you, but you won't probably see him much as he belongs to a smaller clan of deer we give our protection. He doesn't like being surrounded by so many predators" he briefly explained "I also have a right hand, Killer, my blond friend "Law nodded remembering the man who didn't separate from Kidd and who clearly admired the redhead "He helps me with the problems of the clan and organizes the lieutenant rounds and guards around our den"

Law nodded, finally realizing that what at first seemed like a normal clan, really had layers and branches where each member of the clan played an indispensable role for the rest. Some were soldiers, others protectors, but they were unable to live without the others. Law wasn't surprised at all that they had managed to survive so long in anonymity in that forest, if they were so organized. Practically the clan was like a small country in itself.

"Anything else?" he couldn't help asking fascinated with the hierarchy of the clan.

"Aye" Kidd said trying to remember all the people he was in charge of "We have what you will call a treasurer, and then the men and women who instead of fighting are more submissive and in charge of the household and are responsible for providing the clan with food, clothing, or weapons ... ah, and the left-hand" Kidd said, suddenly tensing when remembering the old title "But no one currently occupied the charge" he quickly added.

"What's the left-hand?" Law asked without having heard about the title before and feeling the redhead stiffen under him at the naming.

"It's the person in charge of doing the clan's dirty work, the work the rest of us can't do" the redhead said tensely "He kills the members who lose themselves and end up being dominated by the animal part, turning feral and dangerous" Kidd committed tensely "The animal part is guided by the instinct of survival and often, a total transformation into the animal helps us to endure things that the emotional human mind cannot deal with. The problem is that the animal part can't endure pain sometimes too, it goes crazy and starts attacking friend and foe alike. It's another kind of death for us, we stop being ourselves, it's irreversible." the redhead said tensely.

Law knew by the tone of the voice of the older, that the redhead spoke from experience, and he couldn't help thinking of the little red-haired boy of nine years who had lost everything just like him. Had he then transformed to endure the pain? How many weeks had Kidd stayed in his animal form before returning to be human and face the emotions? How had he even been able to return?

Law squeezed the man even harder against his chest, understanding his pain and feeling Kidd hug his waist back for comfort.

"Besides" the redhead continued dismissively "It has been years since one had taken that charge" he said as if he regretted the clan wasn't complete, but at the same time was happy that no one occupied that dark position.

"Why not?" Law couldn't help but ask slowly.

Silence again flooded the room for a moment where Kidd just stroked the back of his partner tensely, as if he was deciding whether to explain it to him or not. Finally, the redhead sighed and resigned himself to tell the tale.

"The last person who held that position was my father" Kidd said again sounding tense, but clearly making an effort to tell the dark haired boy about this part of his life "my mother was the last leader of the clan and my father was her left-hand. They were inseparable and under them, the clan prospered and grew as never before, however, after an accident where a group of hunters killed a family of our own, a branch of the clan went wild and my father had to kill them to not endanger the rest...They died fighting against their crazed friends and family"

Law felt again the horror dig into the depths of his soul. He had almost died from the pain of seeing his entire family dead, but he was an adult and eventually he had been able to take revenge of the murderers. He hadn't had any kind of relationship with his attackers, nor regrets. Kidd instead had only been a child without any knowledge about the world, Kidd had suddenly been in charge of an entire clan and hadn't even had the satisfaction of revenge.

His clan had been divided, probably after losing their leader and comrades, and Kidd had to be there to help everyone. Knowing the redhead, Law was sure he hadn't even allowed himself to mourn the brutal loss and had just cared for the rest.

"Besides" Kidd continued "in the clan there wasn't anyone that could surpass my father in intelligence, he often drove my mother mad with his idea, no one could substitute him" Kidd finally said as he deposited soft kisses against Law's jaw and smiled proudly at his family memories.

It was clear that Kidd's parents had been strong people who had deserved the clan control. Not everyone risked his own life to save his family. Law could see many of the features of this impressive couple in their son. Both may have died, but clearly, their beliefs and ideals had survived along with Kidd.

Law, felt the wound still open on the redhead's hearth, the position was to precious and sacred for him to give it away to anyone. The fear about it was also still there. Kidd didn't want to lose anyone in that charge, he didn't want to see anyone else die.

Law instantly knew what he had to do.

'I'll do it" Law answered seriously, rising up on his elbows to watch his mate decided "I will be your left hand".

Kidd instantly looked at him with terror reappearing in his eyes. Law saw him stiffen, saw him turn pale and almost desperately grab him by the waist.

"What? Nai!" Kidd replied quickly.

Law sat on the unmade bed, straddling the redhead's hips and took his face in his hands staring into his golden eyes. Those beautiful eyes that had made him fall in love with the man at first sight.

"Think about it, you know you need that position Kidd, the clan needs to be protected from itself, and after everything I've been through, and everything I've seen, there is nothing that can scare me, or that can hurt me more than I have already been hurt. I can endure it. Better than any other member of the clan. " Law explained "Also, I can help you with the tactical plans of attacks, many ideas of today's battle were mine, you know I'm smart and that can do it"

Kidd looked horrified at him, still clutching him with hands still shaking. But Law needed to do this, Kidd needed to be at peace with this too, otherwise the clan would suffer and Kidd would lose more people. And Law wasn't going to stand still while Kidd suffered. He would do what he needed to do to grant Kidd's happiness.

"But ye're a human, ye cannot beat any of us, we are too strong for you and…"

Law rolled his eyes, mocking the older and his strange prejudices, trying to calm him a bit with a bit of humor, to make him relax.

"You know that's not true, the other day I beat you in the training, and today I swept the floor with Wire after his comment of what I could shove up my ass" he said, making Kidd remember the time they had arrived at the castle and Wire, too hysterically after Heat's wound, had begun shouting at Law.

Kidd still looked at him terrified, that position was still too dark for his liking, Law was too precious for him to have it.

"I can't" Kidd simply said, starting to hyperventilate "I cannot lose you too, I can't…"

Law again embraced him tightly as he stroked Kidd's red locks with devotion. At first he hadn't known if this relationship would work, but now it was clear that they couldn't live without each other. Both were so broken, both had been betrayed and had lost too much, but now, together, they will help each other to move forward and recover everything they had lost.

Kidd needed to return to reconcile with that title, needed to overcome the trauma and understand that if there was that kind of position in the clan, it was because the clan really needed it. He couldn't leave that position empty for much longer or the clan will suffer.

"Kidd, if I'm going to stay here, I'll need to do something with my life, I need to thank the clan for all you have done for me" he finally said trying to convince him "You know that I'm perfect for that position, and I don't want any other member of the clan do something like that, so let me help you, and let me be by your side, I'll be careful and always call you when I go hunting them so you can come with me. Nothing will happen to me" he said consoling and trying to convince Kidd again.

The redhead needed to have faith in that title, he needed someone to succeed his father so he could bury the bitter memories.

"Promise me" said the redhead still tense and clearly displeased, but also understanding the need as the leader of the clan, understanding what Law was doing "promise me that you would always call me and that nothing will happen to you, if there's the slightest danger, ye'll run"

Law separated from the redheaded for a moment and joined their foreheads with a sad smile on his face. Kidd needed him so much, he needed Kidd so much. It was as if the universe had joined them only to help them regain the joy of life and to have hope again.

"I promise you" he said before closing his mouth over Kidd's and letting the redhead turn him back on the bed with a clear intention.

.

.

.

Kidd knelt again in front of the old grave and deposited on the cold stone another small bouquet of white lilies that had always been his mother's favorite flower. They were delicate flowers and difficult to find, they grew only in the riverbanks by the water, but Kidd always sought them to take them for his mother on that day.

Sacatos day was always a special event in the north, where all men went to the graves of their ancestors to remind and honor them. It was a day of celebration where competitions were made, bonfires were lit, and bloody red apples were roasted in honor of the lost blood. His clan was not different. They transformed into their animals form and howled in the moonlight while the whole pack covered the forest with candles, marking the places and paths that for centuries had become sacred to them.

But Kidd had never joined to the celebrations, he preferred to spend the day alone or with his partner while memories of a fateful night returned to his mind with force. Law also had never joined the party despite all the years that he had spent with the clan. They had always spent the day together in silence, consoling each other.

Always carrying flowers to the graves of their parents.

Kidd rose from the ground and took a few steps away from the heavy gravestones, as he watched Law leave another bucket of purple and white flowers on the little grave of his sister and his parents gently. His gaze was dark and sad, and Kidd knew exactly what was going through his mind, since the same thing was going through his own.

Kid looked at the small set of tombs hidden in the depths of the forest where they would never be molested, the two most recent graves from Law's family along with the old bigger ones of his own parents covered with moss. That day the sun had appeared curiously between the clouds after months of darkness and snow, and the soft light fell on the scene turning it into an almost magical setting. Kidd had chosen this place to bury his family for that reason; it was a quiet and beautiful place where their souls may rest in peace for eternity.

Law on the ground had finished his prayers, got up from the place and now stood beside him as they watched the small clearing where moss and some small white flowers had managed to grow despite the cold weather.

Kidd hugged him by the waist, remembering how, seven years ago, he had asked Law to bury his parents and sister with his own family. After the impressive battle where they had managed to erase two entire clans, and from where had emerged thousands of legends about the creatures of the enchanted forest, both had returned to the territories of Law's family.

Kidd, who for the second time had seen the desolation on the quiet snowy landscape filled with ashes, had remembered then the peace and silence of the grave of his own parents. With the help of the rest of the clan that had accepted Law as the left-hand with no problem, they had buried the bodies of the common people and the far family of the clan, and had built a small mausoleum of white stone and high arches beside the black castle's ruins.

The place has been quiet and totally silent as the snow again covered the valley between high mountains. The small white tower they had built had almost seemed too haunted to put a foot in the place. Still, when Law had placed the heads of their enemies in the small altar of the place as an offering, Kidd swore he had almost seen the spirits of several souls cross to the other world, leaving this one lone chapel of peace and purity.

But Law hadn't wanted his parents and sister to be buried in there in the middle of nowhere, so when he had asked the redhead where he could bury them, Kidd asked him if he wanted to bury them with his own family.

Between them, they had cleaned, dressed and carried the mutilated frozen bodies of Law's family to the grave, and once there, they had buried them in the dark ground and had covered them with the tombstones. Law had wept silently then, but the look he had given to Kidd after everything was done was one of pure gratitude.

"It has been seven years" Law said returning him to the present.

"Aye" Kidd nodded. It had been seven years since he had met Law, seven years mired in absolute and perfect happiness, seven years where his clan had gained strength and had ventured again into the world to recover what belonged to them "I think it's time to go back, Robin seemed convinced to make us participate this year in the damn party"

Law laughed at his side as he walked away from him and took the path through the trees to the house. Since he had become the left hand, Law had memorized every hiding place and every inch of the forest in order to outrun his prey and enemies, and now Kidd knew that surely, Law would know it even better than himself.

"With the pregnancy she has become even worse" the raven haired boy replied, smiling delighted at the news that Robin had given them nearly a month ago. Pregnancies were not something common in the clan and each one of them was celebrated through all the clan "Poor Franky seems about to kill someone"

Kidd couldn't help but laugh as he followed his other half between the trees, chatting happily. For years he hadn't even deigned himself to think of a scenario like this, in the happiness and in the perfect life he now had. He owed it all to Law.

Holding his hand for a moment, Kidd pulled him through the trees, wanting to get back home to snuggle against the dark haired boy while he read another of the thousands of books in their library, fully enjoying the time together.

"The women and men of the clan always turn very temperamental when they are about to have pups" Kidd said trying to excuse the poor blue haired man who, for weeks, had only communicated with grunts and roars "I guess it's the instinct"

Law nodded proud of his new clan. It was obvious that this couple would fight for their children with claws and teeth from the start, that the children would be valued and loved. No one who criticized or poked at their children would live with the carnage that they both would cause. So much love, so much protectiveness was a real treasure in the icy and dark world where they lived.

"Robin mentioned once a certain ancient ritual that would allow a man of the clan to get… well…. ..Pregnant?" Law then muttered, as if it were a very normal subject to comment while coming back from the grave of their parents.

Kidd paled and stopped short as he watched Law look at him with a much known look. That convinced and calculative one that said he had made a decision and it was impossible to stop him until he carried it out. Kidd walked back several meters back, totally horrified and scared.

" . . .That!" he sentenced with conviction, even though he knew Law would insist and insist until Kidd accepted.

Since Law had become his left hand, the dark haired boy had grown and matured, but he had also gained confidence and an intelligence that Kidd often was afraid of. The raven always had his way. Often without Kidd even noticing.

So when Law approached him with a calculating look and a lopsided grin, Kidd felt his heart stop, knowing he had just a few minutes left to live.

"Come on Kidd, you'd be lovely pregnant" the other started with that serious, sexy voice that always made Kidd blush like a teenager, as he reached his side and hugged his neck "Don't you want children? Don't you want to see them grow? Don't you want to teach them how to fight or to shift?" Law continued purring in his ear, tempting him with an even brighter future than the one they already had.

"N-nai" Kidd sentenced swallowing hard as he let go of the tanned boy and resumed again the way to the clan's castle, ready to kill some seer who always told his partner weird stories, while trying to piss Kidd off.

Maybe Robin was pregnant, hormoned, and cloying, but she didn't have any right to torture him and try to turn the whole clan into a kindergarten. She had to stop playing cupid and forcing people to have babies just for the love of it.

Still, while returning to the clan with Law running after him apologizing and asking for forgiveness, Kidd's mind couldn't help imagine the idea as Law had surely planned. To have a child with his red hair and the beautiful eyes of Law, to teach their little girl the thousands of constellations that were visible from the observatory, tell stories, watch her grow between the arms and affection of them both...

Closing his eyes, Kidd sighed knowing that someday Law would be his end, but that it would also be the best end that he could have dreamed of.

THE END

* * *

Well, it's the end, I hope you all have liked the little surprise (if I have left something unconcluded please tell me so I can correct it). To tell the truth I don't know if I will participate next year again, I have liked the collaboration with the artist (because I have the best one! Ely I love you, marry me pleaseeee), but it takes a lot of effort and time to write it for the little recompense I will surely have.

In any case, thanks a lot for reading this weird story, I hope you have liked it as much as I have loved to write it, I will be seeing you soon somewhere.

See ya~


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